The Power of the Vanquisher
by swordleviosa27022
Summary: The first in the "The Vanquisher" series. A new addition to the Potter family is made, new bonds are formed and old one's are strengthened but even through these times of happiness, danger and darkness lurks in the corners. What happens when Harry Potter doesn't get to chose his own destiny? When friends are revealed to be enemies, who can they trust? COMPLETE, SEQUEL TO BE POSTED
1. Before the Beginning

_This chapter is dedicated to deanine who made me realize that I was being a total prat and should change the first chapter._

Lily sat in the living room of Potter Manor. She would nervously glance at her husband now and then but James appeared to be totally oblivious to her peril and continued to work silently. She thought the role reversal was pretty ironic for usually she was the one working while James tried to find other ways to amuse him.

She looked at her own report, the parchment was completely blank. She glanced at her notes and scratched her neck. She couldn't make out a word of the notes that she herself had taken.

There was a relieved sigh and a shuffle of papers from the other side of the room and she looked up to see James roll his parchment into a neat scroll. He was done! She stared at her own parchment panicking slightly; she was supposed to hand this in tomorrow!

"What's wrong?" James voice attracted her attention and she looked up to find him staring at her with a curious expression.

"Nothing" she mumbled shakily as she opened her ink pot. She dipped her quill into it and then turned to stare at her hasty notes. She was getting frustrated now. Usually she could connect the dots within a minute but today she couldn't even concentrate enough to find any connection among them.

_All the victims were males. A ransom note was found. Three children and two women missing….._

"Then why are you staring at me like a teenage girl who wants to ask me out?" he asked her with an amused expression "we are already married so sorry love but you can't have more".

Lily gulped. How was she supposed to tell him what she had found while visiting the healers?

_Well you are gonna have to tell him somehow._

_Guess I will have to find a opening…_

"I went to the healers today" she told him casually as if a visit to St. Mongo's was normal to her.

"Everything okay?' he asked her in a concerned voice.

Lily hummed nodding into her parchment as she began the report which she knew would be the worst one she ever handed in.

"That's good" James mumbled and Lily had to refrain from hitting him. Honestly! Did he not get the opening?

"They did have some news though' she said pointedly.

"Is this the point where you throw butter beer into my face because I made you pregnant?" James joked as he tied his scroll and cast it aside. He frowned at Lily's horrified expression.

"How…how did you know?' she gasped watching him shakily.

"That was a joke" he exclaimed holding out his hands in a mock defeat.

Lily could only smile at him.

James was flabbergasted. The idea of even connecting his name with the word father was…surreal. The idea that he would have his own baby boy was wonderful but bizarre. A million emotions clashed in his heart.

He felt shock at the news he had just received. Would his life ever be the same? There was of course the inevitable feeling of love for the child who even though hadn't been born still was very important to him. Then, a fear appeared distorting all the other emotions. The world he lived in was in no way appropriate for a child to grow in, would it ever be safe?

He saw Lily watching him uneasily as she fiddled with the hem of her robes. He realized that he should say something to her but he couldn't find a way to explain the warmth which was steadily spreading through his chest. As springing two words together seemed like the hardest job ever he decided to show his pleasure in a non-verbal way.

"And if Padfoot I get even a whiff that you told her I am…..going to do something to you!" James warned Sirius as they talked through the fireplace.

Lily had asked James to keep the new addition to the Potter family a secret but unfortunately secrecy among the Marauders was like trying to keep water in your cupped hands. So the fact could be easily established that all the friends knew. Remus had immediately agreed to act surprised when Lily told them but Sirius was a totally different story. With a fanatical grin on his face he said, "Not tell her and miss a chance to get you busted, never Prongs!"

James glared at his friend "Padfoot!"

"Fine fine Jamie boy, no telling I promise" said Sirius but he crossed his fingers behind his back.

James nodded and immediately disappeared as Lily's calls could be heard. Sirius grinned, how thick was James to actually take his word for it. All these years with Sirius should have taught him to always keep his friend's fingers in sight when he promised him something.

"It is party time!"

"Please tell me you didn't tell them" Lily pleaded James as she watched him uneasily read the daily prophet. She had gotten her suspicions as soon as she saw him lurking near the fireplace. She knew for a fact that he hated the Potter's drawing room because it was too formal for his liking and only went there to make fire calls.

Startled by her statement James lifted his newspaper and effectively covered his face "Of course not dear" he assured her cursing his lips which kept on twitching. How could he lie straight to the person who had the ability to expel him from school and not to his wife was beyond him.

"James" she said in a warning tone once she saw her husband hide his face. She knew he was terrible at lying to her for she could always notice the faint twitch of his lips "look into my eyes and tell me you didn't tell them".

Hesitantly James dropped the paper and said "I didn't tell them" in one breath.

_There is the twitch_!

"You told them!' she accused him.

"Fine alright but I swear…"

The knocker of the main door sounded and Lily rounded at James her vegetables forgotten "that will be them" she growled clearly annoyed.

James shook his head "they promised not to bug us".

"And you told them not to let me know that they knew" she sighed as someone knocked at the main door again "and I will let them in before they knock the door down".

Lily moved to the door with James tailing behind her nervously running a hand through his hair. They could see shadows on the other side of the door, to be more exact three shadows. Lily opened the door and James took hold of his wand; a cautious safety precaution. When the door opened to reveal their visitors his precaution seemed unnecessary.

"SURPRISE! We are here to celebrate the birth of the _heir of the marauders_" Sirius yelled as he pushed a badly wrapped package into Lily's hands. Lily realized her life would never be the same again as she reluctantly invited the marauders into Potter Manor.

_**I know I wrote the scene of the whole party but…..well truth be told I got lazy. Please don't hate me maybe I will add it later or write a one-shot (of the better version of course the last one sucked)**_


	2. Visiting the Weasleys

Yellow14: thank you for those kind words of welcome *smiles sarcastically*, on a more serious note I will work on it. I just didn't think that punctuation mattered.

…..

_This chapter is dedicated to AD7, thanks ammy for always being there. Thanks for climbing trees, for the many dares, for passing notes in class, for super ma'am, for moving along with every weird scheme I come up with, for getting soaked in the rain, for running in the puddles and for everything._

…..

**We Are Having A Son:**

Lily had just returned from St. Mongos after her routine checkup though this time she came back with more news then just the fact that she was fit and healthy.

'Hey James….They know the gender of the baby!" she cried happily once she had spotted her husband, his nose buried in stacks of parchment.

James, who had been oblivious to his wife's return jumped up from the dining table on which he had spread out his Auror report.

'Really! What is it?" asked James literally skipping on his face.

'Well they were going to tell me but I told them I wanted to find it the old fashioned way"

James stared as if she had just sprouted an extra head. "But I wanted to know!" he whined.

"Why is it so important any ways?" said Lily as she collapsed into one of the chairs.

"I had a bet with Padfoot….." James realized his slip and immediately pursed his lips but it was too late.

"YOU HAD A BET WITH SIRIUS ABOUT OUR SON!" Lily was livid and unaware of her slip, but James who had the sharpest senses in these matters caught it.

James eyes went wide "son? We are having a boy?"

"What! Oh no no it's not a boy it's …. um…"

"So we are having a girl then?"

"No it's not a girl either…."

"It is either a boy or a girl"

"Fine! We are having a son"

**I Can't Believe You Are Going To Be A Father:**

"Ha! See Padfoot. Didn't I tell you it was going to be a boy"

James stood in front of Sirius with his hand out stretched and a childish grin plastered on his face.

Sirius reluctantly handed over ten galleons to James who whopped and spoke in a sing song voice "I win! I win! Padfoot is the loser!"

"I can't believe you are going to be a father. I mean it prongs! Poor kid … his father will be more immature then he himself" said Sirius rolling his eyes at his friend's childish antics.

"Oh and you are a good ol'gentelman Padfoot!"

"What are you going to name him?" asked Sirius once the two friends had settled down in the living room of potter manor, sipping butter beer.

"I dunno but I reckon lily has a whole list ready" said James " Lily wants me to talk to Rufus Schwinger about her matony, macology…..something like that leave. I am sure once I go to that old cougar's office he will begin preaching….."

"It's maternity leave James!" corrected a rather sleepy lily as she climbed down the staircase and sat down besides James.

"Hey Lils, how are you feeling?" asked James throwing his arm around her.

"Pregnant!" lily grumbled.

**The Weasley Clan:**

"that treacherous old bleater, has no sense himself, stupid git thinks he is the only one devoted to the cause, whatever the cause the ministry seem to have …."

James came home the next day muttering darkly under his breath. Lily guessed it was someone from work for that was where James was returning from.

"So what did Rufus say?" she asked

"He gave you the leave of course but not without blabbering about how irresponsible women are. He was all like I am never going to employ women again, they work for two weeks and then go ahead and get pregnant" said James "so how are you guys?"

"_We_ are fine" said lily smiling "though he never goes to sleep. Keeps on kicking"

James wrinkled the end of his nose "I don't even want to know what that feels like"

"So anything new?"

"well…..i met Arthur today. Molly's pregnant again. So now they have…"

Lily completed the sentence for him "six kids! Wow this woman must have practice. You know I think I will go meet her someday"

"Well that is the Weasley clan"

**The Burrow:**

While James was at work the next day, lily decided to pay a visit to the burrow.

Wrapping a cloak protectively around herself she threw a pint of floo powder into the fireplace. Stepping into the emerald flames she spoke clearly "the Burrow!'

Potter manor locked itself as the magic of the old house registered that it's masters had left the property. These were centuries old enchantments laid down by the many wizards and witches who had lived here centuries ago.

Lily's usually graceful landing turned into a rather rigid one as she stumbled out of the fireplace. A cry "mommy!' was heard and little hands helped her up.

"Thanks bill" said lily, beaming at the ten year old.

Molly hurried into the kitchen "Lily dear! What a lovely surprise. How are you? Oh I heard about the little one you must be excited. I know I was when it was my first one…"

Lily laughed at Molly's caring nature "I am fine! I must say I was surprised when I first heard. I heard about you too, so is it a boy or a girl?"

"It's a boy. I was hoping for a girl but then again there hasn't been a girl born to the Weasleys in almost two centuries guess Muriel is right after all, we bread like a bunch of gnomes!"

Lily didn't remember molly ever being this chatty and decided it must be the hormones. "Mine is also a boy!' she informed molly.

"Why! Congratulations…." But the rest of her reaction was drowned by a resounding crash from upstairs.

"Oh those boys" sighed molly "not even being able to speak properly yet creating havoc. I wonder what they did this time."

Molly climbed up the stairs, lily at her toe. She cautiously checked every corner for she had had her share of the weasley children's pranks.

"What did you do this time?" demanded molly from the guilty set of twins "Fred! George!'

Both the twins pointed at each other before realizing it and hastily removing their hands.

Molly sighed, shaking her head "no cookies for you two for one week. I have no time to deal with you. Now say hello to Mrs. Potter "

The twins looked like they were going to complain but thought against it and turned to lily "hello Mrs. Potter" chorused the twins.

An hour later, lily was sitting in the Weasley's living room with Percy in her lap. She didn't know exactly what she was supposed to be doing, according to Molly she was supposed to be taking care of all the children.

She gently rocked Percy who seemed to be in a rather irritatable mood. He was reading a book and lily would occasionally help him with the words he couldn't understand.

Charlie and Bill were in front of her, playing wizard's chess though lily doubted that Charlie actually understood the game.

Fred and George seemed the most mysterious as they were sitting in a corner whispering to each other. Lily couldn't even understand half of the words they were using but they seemed to understand each other alright.

Percy seemed as the only Weasley child who didn't cause trouble. Fred and George could probably give James and Sirius a run for their money and at that point it was saying something. Bill and Charlie just bickered too much to be considered innocent.

It was the constant bickering from bill and Charlie, the pleas of silence from Percy and the squeals of delight from the twins which made her wish to have a family of her own.


	3. Harry James Potter

**I Am Not Sure This Was The Right Decision**

James returned home one day to find a terribly pale Lily sitting on the living room couch, nervously twisting her hair around her fingers. "Lily….what's wrong" he asked his wife anxiously, hoping with everything he possessed that nothing was wrong with the child.

"I am due next week. We are going to have a baby by august!"

"Lily! That is great news…..but something in your voice doesn't say so. Why are you so scared?"

Lily turned to James, her eyes glittering from the unshed tears."I don't know" she said in a frustrated voice "I am not sure if I will make a good enough parent and….and we have a war going on all around us. It would be rather foolish to believe that the world we live in is fit for a child to grow up in.

James sighed, as much as he hated to admit it, Lily was right. He wrapped his arms around her and allowed her to rest her head on his shoulder. "Lily I am sure you will make a great mother. I am not so sure about myself to be honest but I would never regret starting a family with you". He gently kissed her head before continuing "I love you and that will never change. We shouldn't just stop living just because a psychopath has decided to create havoc. Who know….maybe one of these kids will grow up to kill Voldemort"

"You must have a lot of nerve Mr. Potter to call the most evil wizard ever a psychopath" she said with a small laugh before occupying a more serious tone "but won't it be unfair to the next generation. I mean this is our war and we are wary to even enter the battlefield…."

"Not ours Lily" James interrupted her "this is a fight between what is right and what is wrong, it is like in quidditch. It is the war of getting the snitch so if one of the team's seeker gets injured it won't be unfair for the reserve seeker to step up…."

"Okay! I get it" laughed lily clapping a hand on James mouth to make him stop talking.

"So you okay now?" lily nodded. "Good cause I am starving!"

"Yes captain!'

**A Confused Potter And A Angry Red-head**

"So you want me to take you to 's?"

"Oh no James, I want you to just sit here and just watch me. OFCOURSE I WANT YOU TO TAKE ME TO ST. MONGO'S"

"Okay just wait a moment, I will fire call Sirius and….."

"JAMES!"

"Right! Right! Um…how do we get there?"

"Use a portkey Mr. genius!"

James had been awoken in the middle of the night, rather harshly by Lily who had immediately informed him that her water had broken. James had no idea what that meant but it was quiet obvious that St. Mongo's would be their next stop. Like always, a confused Potter and a angry potter don't mix well.

James grabbed an empty butter beer bottle and murmured "portus!' as he heard a strangled cry from upstairs. The bottle emitted a faint blue glow indicating that the spell had worked. James rushed back up the stairs, taking hold of Lily's hand; he pressed her finger to the bottle and murmured the activation word "baby boy!"

The young couple arrived at St. Mongo's. Lily has her eyes clenched tightly, one of her hands clutching her stomach. A healer rushed forwards "take her to the maternity ward!" at getting a better look at her he said "scratch that, birth room it is".

A nurse levitated Lily and as James made to follow she said in a timid voice "you are to stay in the waiting room sir".

James sent message to Sirius, Remus and Peter through a patronous before collapsing on the couch, to wait and wonder.

**Did I Miss Anything?**

Sirius jumped out of his bed, wand raised as a patronous glided in. He lowered his wand as he recognized prongs.

"Come to the hospital, baby is on his way"

Sirius stared at the spot where prongs had vanished moments ago as if mesmerized by the empty space. He finally kicked himself into action, pulling on the first set of robes he found within his arm reach.

Once he was dressed, he flooed to St. Mongo's and made his way to the receptionist. "Excuse me? Could you please tell me where Mr. Potter is? I am a friend"

"Seventh floor, waiting room" she said in a bored voice.

"Thanks!" cried Sirius as he made his way to the seventh floor.

There was only one waiting room on that floor and Sirius could see James sitting inside through the transparent glass doors. Sirius threw the doors open and went to join James who was staring into space.

"Did I miss anything?"

"No….nothing much"

Silence fell between the two friends as they waited.

"Hey James, look at it this way you are the magical creature who gave Lily the injury" joked Sirius trying and failing to diffuse the tension.

"Huh?" the confusion was apparent on James face.

"We are on the injuries caused by magical creatures floor, remember?"

James just snorted at the joke and went back to staring at the white tiles. A few moments later, the door burst open to reveal Remus who looked like he had just fought his way through devil snare.

"Did I miss anything?" he asked Sirius in a undertone as he seated himself next to him shooting James a worried look. Sirius shook his head on Remus' question.

It was a long wait. The only change in the room was Remus' relocation to James side instead of Sirius'. The only noise was of Sirius cracking a joke or two to diffuse the tension. Finally, the doors banging open broke the ringing silence.

"Congratulations! You may see them now Mr. Potter"

**Harry James Potter**

Lily held her child for the first time, her baby boy. She gently rocked him back and forth as he resumed his peaceful slumber. He looked exactly like James –_ a little replica – _She wondered if his eyes were the same hazel as James but she couldn't help but feel a little miffed, there was nothing of her's in the baby.

Watching her baby sleep, her heart warmed yet she was filled with a desire to protect him and care for him, and at that moment she realized she would die for him. Ironic! Wasn't it that something so small and so fragile could have such an effect on her, that it could give her a new life and a new beginning.

Slowly, the baby opened his eyes. Lily gasped; staring back at her was the mirror image of her almond shaped green eyes. He peered curiously at her for a moment before clamping them shut. He began to cry.

"Shh! It's okay, I got you, I got you" said Lily, gently shifting his weight in her arms and settling him in a position she hoped he would find more comfortable. He stretched his little lips, yawning as he once again slipped into dreams. Lily smiled as he let out a small sigh and buried his face into her chest.

Lily heard the door open and looked up.

"Is that….is he ours" stuttered James gazing at the child in her arms.

"Our son" lily confirmed.

James moved closer to her bedside as Sirius and Remus entered thought they stayed begind.

"You want to hold him?"

James looked uncertain, biting his lower lip uncertainly though lily could see the longing in his eyes as he watched the child –_their child!-_. Lily rolled her eyes and pushed the boy into James reluctant arms.

James seemed scared at first when the baby opened his eyes. He had probably felt himself being shifted from his mother's arms and he didn't seem to like it as he began to wail loudly.

"Marvelous! He hates me" exclaimed James shooting Lily a helpless glance as the child continued to cry.

'He doesn't like anyone much to tell you the truth' Lily explained.

"He was okay with you" whined James.

"He was asleep" lily reminded him as James began to roughly rock the baby back and forth. It seemed to work as soon he was asleep.

"Does he always sleep?" asked Sirius making his and Remus' presence known.

"Mostly" shrugged lily.

The door opened again revealing a plump nurse. She smiled warmly at james and lily before asking "did you decide name yet?" when they all shook their heads she said "well we will call him baby potter till you decide". With that, she left.

"So what are we going to name him?"

"James junior" suggested Sirius.

James wrinkled the end of his nose "you better be joking Padfoot. It is wa-ay too tacky"

"How about Pronglet?" grinned Sirius.

"I am not going to name my first born Pronglet!" cried lily.

"The second one then?" asked Sirius, looking hopeful.

"No!"

"if you are gonna be this picky why don't you just names him baby potter then at the Hogwarts sorting ceremony his name will be called like potter, baby …"

Remus rolled his eyes "Harold?"

James shook his head "nah! We had a bakery near town and it was called Harold's oven so there is no way I am naming my child Harold"

Lily meanwhile was deep in thought "Harry…." She then looked at the baby held in James' arms "harry James Potter…. I like it!"

"Why Harry James Potter? I mean why not Harry Lily Potter?" asked James.

Lily arched a eyebrow "Harry Lily Potter, are you Sirius James?"

"Hey! Stop using my name like that"

"I get the point" grinned James before casting Sirius a hasty glance "um…Lily?"

Lily seemed to understand what he was saying "you do it!'

"What! Why me?" cried James shooting Sirius a uneasy glance.

"Because, last time I checked he was your best friend"

"Okay…..um Sirius we…um…..Lily help me out here!"

"Will you guys stop acting like I have been diagnosed with cancer and you both can't find the courage to tell me!" cried Sirius before adding in a under tone to Remus "I haven't been diagnosed by cancer, have I Moony"

Remus shook his head looking as confused as Sirius did. Lily let out a frustrated sigh "we want you to be Harry's…"

"Godfather!" cried James finishing the sentence for her.

Sirius stared disbelievingly at the couple "are you yanking my wand" he asked them in a serious tone,

"Nope" said lily shaking her head and smiling at him. "So…do you accept" she asked in a hopeful tone.

"I am Sirius!"

"I think we can take that as a yes" James smiled at his best friend before reverting his gaze to Remus "you can have the next one Moony!"

"That means you gotta hold him" said James after a moment silence, pushing Harry into Sirius' arms who reluctantly accepted the fragile child. Unlike with James, Harry peered at Sirius and simply went back to sleep.

"He likes me!"

"Great! My own son likes that mutt more than he likes me!"

"Jealous Prongs!"


	4. The Vanquisher

_This chapter is dedicated to whydoyouneedtoknow, who is a awesome fanfiction writer and I love her writings very much. She is one of my many inspirations._

…_.._

**It's A Boy!**

"Why didn't Peter come to the hospital?"

Lily had been discharged from St. Mongo's the next day and was now making her way to Potter manor with James in her toe, holding Harry.

"I dunno…..he was probably busy?" James shrugged it off though he was feeling a little let down himself, Wormtail should have told him if he was going on a mission.

"Probably, hey! Now that I am thinking about it Dumbledore did need someone to keep an eye on Madam Rosemerta. Reckons she is under the imperius curse"

"I hope not, she is a charming woman" said James remembering all the times he and Sirius had joked with the bartender "I could have sworn Sirius had a crush on her ever since fourth year!"

James opened the doors and pushed the walker in which Harry was slumbering peacefully into the house.

"CONGRATULATIONS!"

Lily sighed, of course! Sirius never let go of a chance to party and by the looks of it he had managed to collect quiet a crowd. The Weasleys were there and the small bundle held in Molly's arms was probably young Ronald. The marauders were there this time including Peter. A couple of order members also seemed to have decided to drop by. A huge banner hung on the wall reading "IT'S A BOY!"

"Congratulations guys!" and with that they were pulled into the party, every one trying to catch a glimpse of the newest potter.

The soft hum of the music filled Lily's ears as she made her way towards her girlfriends, Alice Longbottom and Marlene McKinnon.

Lily smiled at Alice "hey Alice! Did you bring Neville?" she said peering around accepting to see the toddler somewhere.

Alice shook her head "no, I left him with Frank's mother. She doesn't like me much but at least she has a soft spot for Neville"

"I think it is more like you don't like her" said Marlene shaking her head.

"Whatever!" pouted Alice before turning her gaze back towards Lily "well, come on introduce me to young Harry!"

Lily led her friends towards the marauders. Harry was currently in Peter's arms and they could tell from even a mile away that he so didn't like that. Sirius shook his head and took Harry over, like magic Harry calmed down but kept his gaze on Wormtail who was becoming more and more nervous with each passing moment.

As Lily neared, Sirius immediately handed Harry over to her 'keep your wild son to yourself, ripped apart my ear drums". Lily shot him a glare before accepting Harry from him and turning to Alice and Marlene.

"So, who wants to hold him first?"

Both her friends looked uncertain. "I think we will just watch" said Alice. Clearly, they had taken what happened to Peter as a warning.

"Oh honestly! He won't say anything…..Alice! Take him, now!"

"I highly doubt that" grumbled Alice but accepted Harry from Lily scared that her friend would rip her to shreds by the glares she was sending her way.

Thankfully, Harry just peered at her for a moment before struggling in her arms, reaching back for Lily who accepted him with a smile. "See! He didn't bite!"

"My turn! My turn!" said Marlene stretching her hands. "That's more like it!" said Lily as she handed Harry over to her.

"Why! You're a nice little baby aren't you" cooed Marlene gently bouncing him. Harry gurgled happily and gave a small giggle.

"Aw! Harry, Your laughing" cried Lily drawing the boys attention back to them. "Really!' cried James moving towards Harry.

Lily nodded smiling at her son.

"I wanted him to laugh at my jokes but the poor guy was too busy bawling his head off" chortled Sirius.

"You're just too scary" said Marlene making a face.

"Actually you look too funny. Could get hysterical laughter bubbling out of a block in no time" Sirius retorted "you know with the bushy hair and the face that is as round as a football…."

'You didn't seem to think so when you snogged me in front of the whole Gryffindor tower' she replied slyly.

That effectively shut him up.

**Immediate Attention**

"say dad! Da-ad, come on you can do it!"

James sat with Harry in his lap. A few days ago Harry had began sitting but most of times he needed help to do so or he just toppled over. James had now been trying for an eternity for his first word to be "dad" but failed miserably as harry refused to repeat after him.

Right now, harry seemed to find the buttons of his shirt very attractive.

"Come on! Do it for daddy….." but James never got to finish that sentence as a phoenix patronus glided in and spoke in Dumbledore's deep and commanding voice.

_Come to my office, there is something that needs your immediate attention, bring little Harry along._

Even in the voice message, Dumbledore sounded grim. James didn't really trust Dumbledore with Harry. Something about the saddened expression by which he watched the child was unnerving. Almost immediately, his mind began to consider the worst possibilities.

"What do you think he wants?" asked Lily apparently having had heard the message from the kitchen.

"I dunno, but I doubt he asked us to bring Harry along just so that he could share lemon drops with him"

**Prophesized**

_The one with the power to vanquish the dark lord approaches, born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies, the dark lord shall mark him as his equal yet he shall have the power the dark lord knows not, one must die at the hand of the other cause neither can live while the other survives. The vanquisher….approaches_

Lily gazed at the pensieve, even though the blank face of Sybil Trelawny had long disappeared. She cradled Harry closer to her chest, feeling as if the wicked world was waving it's arms trying to claim her baby boy. She wanted to shout at Albus and tell him, tell him that Sybil Trelawny was nothing more than a fraud and that prophesies didn't exist but she knew, she knew that even if she said those things it would be just to reassure herself and her statement in no way would bend the naked truth.

She couldn't believe that her baby boy had been cursed. She felt as if they had been in the light for far too long and that now, destiny –_the cruel ruthless creature!-_ had cursed them, taken away their happiness and forced them into the darkness.

She turned to James, seeking reassurance but he realized that he had nothing to give as his face mirrored her own fear. Thus, she turned to Dumbledore, her wet eyes pleading with him to tell her that he, like always had everything under control. "What do we do?" she asked him in a hoarse voice, not knowing what else to say.

Dumbledore sighed "Voldemort knows…."

"How!" said James jumping up "you said the prophecy was made to you so, only you should have heard it."

"One of him followers overheard us" said Dumbledore in a grim voice "you must go into hiding, I suggest the fidelius charm"

James nodded

'You must move to a new location…'

'Godrics's Hallow?" suggested Lily.

"Wherever you please" said Dumbledore "and if you are considering the fidelius charm, I would like to say that I am always ready to play the role of secret keeper"

"Thanks Albus but, I will ask one of the guys to be secret keeper, probably Sirius"

"yes…James I thought we would hit that little snag, Sirius will be too obvious…."

"Remus then" said Lily. It wasn't that they didn't trust Peter but he was well, too weak to be a protector.

"Remus is a werewolf" said Dumbledore and at Lily's confusing and James' angry gaze Dumbledore elaborated "if his maker was to ask him for the secret, he would be compelled to tell him, Peter Pethigrew will be the most unlikely choice I believe"

Lily and James both nodded, accepting Dumbledore's terms.


	5. Padfoot, Prongs & Pronglet

_This chapter goes to the fanfiction writer on who wrote the story 'protection' (the one with the weird list), that was my first fanfiction._

…_._

_Yesterday I checked my mail and found out that i had a follower, so thanks Yuna (was that it, sorry I don't remember your name *smiles sheepishly*) if u r out there and reading this, for being my first follower._

…_._

**Baby's Firsts:**

It had been two months since the young Potter couple had moved to Godric's Hallow to live under the protection of the fidelius charm which they had cast with the help of the charms professor from Hogwarts. Professor Flitwick.

Still, Lily Potter couldn't believe that her son's life would have to either include murder or end with murder. Her mind seemed to be a whirl of confusion, sometimes she wished it was the latter of the two as she didn't want her son's soul to destroyed for a pitiful creature like the dark lord but other times she wished that he came out as the victor for she couldn't bear the thought of losing her son. Yet whenever lily was down, James was ready to cheer her up. This was one of those occasions.

"What if Voldemort gets to us!"cried Lily.

"He won't" said James for what felt like the hundredth time "we are safe"

Lily sighed "I know, I know…."

Harry's cries sounded from the next room. Lily huffed, swinging her legs off the couch, she went to his room. James sighed and slumped back on the couch but shot upright when he heard lily cry "oh! My baby boy"

James hurriedly got to his feet, what had happened?, maybe he had called lily mama, _I hope not I have been working for months trying to make his first word be dad._

Entering his son's room, he asked "what?"

"he is standing! He is standing!' squealed Lily, literally jumping up and down.

James turned around and could feel a smile blossoming on his face, sure enough there Harry was. Clutching the bars of his crib to keep himself balanced with a grin on his childish face. It was funny how easily the happiness of a infant's happiness could be earned so easily and anyone who would have seen the green eyed child would have been ready to beg destiny to let him go, yet life spares no one.

Having no time to lose, james rushed to his bedroom, grabbing the camera lily kept on their table, he rushed back.

_CLICK!_

James snapped a picture, there was no need to say "cheese!' as both Lily and Harry were smiling broadly.

"Dada!"

The camera slipped from James' hands landing on the ground with a soft thud. Were his ears deceiving him? "What did you say?" he asked his son in a disbelieving tone.

Harry appeared to be quiet proud of himself "dada!" he repeated.

"Yes! Yes! Yes!" yelled James. Moving forwards scoping up his son he tossed him in the air. He could hear lily laughing in the background. A few years ago, he would have given up everything he owned to have her there like this and now, it was like his day was complete and the only thing that could do that was that she had shared her laughter with him. For the first time in days, the potter family felt blessed, not cursed.

**Padfoot's Code of Existence:**

"Come on, high five me mate!"

Sirius held out his hand, stretching out his palm. Harry giggled before smacking his little hand into Sirius'.

"What! You call that a high five? Looks like prongs is on vacation so I will show you" Sirius and Harry's hands collided, making a chime of clapping noise. Harry cheered.

Sirius scoped up his tiny godson and proceeded to the couch where James sat. Smiling at the baby who was playing with the buttons on Sirius' robes, he said "so Harry, you got any girls stuck in your web?"

James snorted.

"What?" asked Sirius looking at James.

"I would have to say yes to that, he has half of the girls in town wrapped around his fingers"

"Well then you need Padfoot's crash course for dating girls after all that is all you raise a mutt for"

"Hey! I am the one with a wife here" exclaimed James.

"Mistake number one" said Sirius doing a imitation of McGonagall adjusting her glasses on her nose "you don't marry a girl!"

"Then you don't get a godson Padfoot."

"Exactly you get a godson not a son. Godsons are cool but being a father just complicates matters, you gotta spank them…."

'No way! The spanking part goes to Lily" said James holding out his hands and shaking his head.

"Let's see what lily thinks about that"

"Anyways Padfoot, if you are as a loyal friend as you claim to be, I believe you owe me a godson"

Sirius shook his head "Sorry mate you got the wrong man cause this guy here ain't getting married".

"Why not?" asked James with a frustrated sigh.

"It is against Padfoot's code of existence"

**Baby Sitting Blues:**

"There is plenty of milk in the fridge, just cast a mild heating charm on it and it will be fine for him, oh! And don't forget he needs a bath and If I come back and find him stinking you are dead…..and don't you two dare order pizza, there is plenty of food in the fridge to keep you quiet….there are diapers in the closet and,….."

"lily I am sure they will be okay, I have left Neville with Frank loads of time and he is always in one piece' said Alice tugging at her friend's sleeve to make her move on –_already!-._

"Well Frank doesn't keep on trying stupid things with him, I swear one day they are going to crack the poor boy's skull open" Lily muttered darkly.

Alice just rolled her eyes, totally familiar with her ex-dorm mate's fiery temper. "Come on!" she cried finally managing to drag Lily along.

"You know Padfoot, we probably should be careful or this time, Lily will definitely have our heads"

"No doubts there mate"

Both Sirius and James watched the slumbering toddler wearily. They both had done some rather foolish things with the poor child but at those moments they needn't worry for Lily could always to take over when things got nasty (which was 4 out of 5 cases) but now, Lily wasn't there and they would be in deep trouble if something was to happen.

"this shouldn't be too hard" said James, uncertainly.

"I dunno" shrugged Sirius before the two friends retreated from Harry's room.

Both friends were playing chess on the kitchen table while harry resumed his nap. They were both kind of hoping he didn't wake up until Lily was back. Lily never let them sit on the kitchen table and ply chess so now they were making most out of her absence from the house.

Alice had reckoned that lily was totally losing it ("did she ever have it?" Sirius had asked) staying holed up in the house so they both had went to Alice's' house where Marlene was waiting for them. The guys had no idea what the girls were going (they were gossiping according to James)

Sirius was glad that Lily was absent, she was too good at chess for his liking and of course, she always helped James as if the laws of cheating didn't apply on him. James (alone) of course, was yet to beat him even after all their years at Hogwarts.

"ha ha! I got you stuck" Sirius cried trimphtaly.

"I'll find a way out" grumbled James gazing hopefully at the chess pieces.

Sirius rolled his eyes and casually leaned back in his chair. He crossed his arms and smirked at James pointed his index finger at one piece after the other muttering something to himself.

Harry's cries echoed around the house, forcing the two men to their feet. "the fun begins!'.

James scoped harry from his crib and settled him in his arms. Rubbing his back in a soothing manner and bouncing him slightly. Finally, Harry stopped crying and looking at Sirius with his sleep laden eyes, he cried "pa!'

Sirius' eyes widened in shock and he turned to stare hesitantly at James but was thankful to see that his friend was not angry, just confused.

"pad! pad! pad!"

A grin spread over his face as he realized what his tiny godson was saying; it wasn't papa, it was Padfoot.

Harry began squirming in James' arms, his chubby arms reaching for Sirius who accepted his godson and held him close.

"You said my name huh? Well then come on young man let's give you a bath or your mama will kill padfoot…..oh yes she will".

**He Is Mine:**

Bubbles blossomed in the bath tub and harry squealed with delight. According to James, Harry was the only baby he knew who actually enjoyed baths which was saying something as James had spent a lot of his summer vacations babysitting, sometimes as a favor and other times just for pleasure.

Sirius checked if the water's temperature while James undressed Harry. Even though Harry liked baths, he had a annoying habit of running out of the bathroom, completely naked. To prevent this, Sirius had cast a locking charm on the door for he was not in the mood to chase the toddler all the way through the house.

James carefully placed Harry in the bath tub. Harry immediately began playing, catching the foam in his tiny fist and blowing into it so that a few bubbles floated away. Sirius was rummaging through the bottles they had in the small cabinet on top of their sink. "What shampoo does he use?"

"I don't know" admitted James "Lily usually gives him a bath"

"Typical" grumbled Sirius before retrieving a bottle which was labeled _lilies, 2 in 1, conditioner and shampoo._

James snatched the bottle from him and smelt the liquid inside, "It's Lily's" he said with a dreamy look on his face.

"Earth to James!" cried Sirius, effectively forcing James out of his stupor. He took out the next bottle. "Unless you think you are very delicate and use Macleod's baby bath, I would say this is Harry's"

"Very funny, give me that!"

"What no way! I get to bathe him"

"He is my son!"

"My godson!"

"Fat chance Padfoot, he is mine!"

…..

_I am still alive! Sorry it takes sooooo long to upload the chapters. I would upload daily if I could but eighth grade is reaaaaaaaaaly tough, honestly chemistry sucks and whoever agrees with me on thatis a genious. I m supposed to be revising cause I have a test of chem tomorrow but…..like I care. I will go ahead and upload this now – xoxo levy_


	6. France and a Misplaced Werewolf

_This chapter goes to HS13, to whom I would like to wish a happy 14__th_

…_.._

**Just Us and the Guys:**

"are you serious?"

'duh!"

Over the days Sirius had grown quiet attached to Harry and had fallen into the habit of returning to Godric's Hallow instead of returning to his ancestral house, number 12 Grimmauld place. Thus like always, Lily Potter heard the door creak and as she went to check who it was, she saw Sirius Black walking merrily in the hallway.

"Sirius….i really am glad to see you mate but, exactly how long has it been since you set one foot into Grimmauld place, you know the thing you call your home" said James, knowing without even looking who was making his way to the living room.

"I dunno, two weeks maybe…might be more, can never tell"

Harry by that point seemed to have noticed his godfather's arrival. "paddy!' he squealed before throwing away the stuffed snitch (James' idea) he had been playing with and ran o his godfather wrapping his tiny arms around his legs.

"hey Harry" said Sirius scooping him up "at least some one is glad to see me"

"so Sirius, any plans for Harry's birthday"

"I dunno, cant be anything big with the security and everything….i guess it will be just us and the guys" said Sirius, though Lily didn't think that the mischievous glint in his eyes quiet agreed with his casual statement. Of course, only and fool would have thought that the marauders didn't have anything big planned for Harry's birthday; after all he was the heir of the marauders. Mentally, Lily began to prepare herself for another party filled with pranks and jokes, and of course in which ever part James and Sirius were, firewhiskey seemed to follow them, so a few drunken hours were also in order.

**Voldemort Gets to Chose:**

Lily walked into the living room after having had put Harry to bed. Miraculously, Sirius had left after lunch complaining that harry cried too much during the night and he needed to be well rested for a training session he had to attend (screams bloody murder all through out the night I tell you, if I nod off tomorrow Moody is gonna have my head so I better go home cause Harry here ain't gonna let me sleep)

She walked upon a rather curious sight. James sat on the living room couch, seemingly deep in thought.

"Should I call the daily prophet reporters, JamesPotter without a fanatical grin could easily reach the firt page" she spoke in a teasing voice.

"Huh?" he said looking up.

"What's wrong?" she asked him, sitting down beside him.

James shrugged his shoulders " i guess I feel kind of useless. I mean we aren't doing anything in the war except attending the order meetings and that damn well isn't doing any good. In the meetings I hear the reports will about how others are out there, trying to make a difference and I want to do something too. All the guys are also doing something worth while, Sirius is spying on the minister and also has a loy of contacts in the ministry. Remus is with the werewolves, trying to convince them to join our cause and peter….well only god knows where Peter is."

Lily sighed softly, contemplating what to say " I know how it feels to just sit on the sidelines and watching other people risk their lives but remember, we are doing this for harry, to protect him at all costs. Maybe one day he will grow up to kill Voldemort, bet you wouldn't fell useless then"

James shook his head "how can he Lily, he is just a baby. Who knows maybe he won't even reach the age…."

"Don't say that!" cried Lily. She took a deep breath before continuing " we will be safe as long as we stay here and I am sure that Albus will be able to protect him at Hogwarts…when the time comes he will have to do it"

"We don't know for sure it's him"

A spiteful smile touched Lily's lilps as she took in the naked hope shinning in James' eyes. "Dumdledore says Voldemort gets to chose"

"Am I a bad person to hope that it in not him…it does mean that Neville….."

"No, I sometimes wish the same thing"

**France:**

" I am so sorry guys, I won't be here for Harry's birthday. I have to go to France"

"Well I am sure that you will be more useful to the order" Lily assured him even though she knew that her words had no effect on him. It was James' words of acceptance that he wanted to hear, yet sadly she could see none coming.

"I really did aske dumbldore to send someone else, but you know how that old cougar is. Wouldn't listen. Sorry Prongs" he said, seemingly not have heard Lily's words.

"It's okay" James said in a dead sort of voice, still gazing stubbornly at the floor. Sirius shared a helpless glance with Lily.

"so…what is the mission about?"

" About some witch. She has been researching for the order. Friend – I welcome her to the cause, foe - the dungeons in my house are just the place for her" Sirius said rather bluntly.

Sirius wasn't looking forward to this at all. He reckoned French just wasn't his style and along with that, he would have to miss his godson's birthday. Little did he know that in th vast land of French, there was someone waiting for him, someone who would teach him many things and turn his world upside down.

**The Man of Mystery:**

_James, there is something I have to discuss with you. I will be arriving at your premises at 7 o'clock tonight – APWBD_

"There is only one guy I know who had a name this long" said James as he showed Lily the letter Fawkes had delivered to him.

"Could have at least told us if it is good news or bad news" grumbled Lily

"Albus Dumbledore is a man of mystery" James quoted from a article he had read early in the daily prophet.

"What do you think he has to tell us now" Lily wondered outloud.

"Knowing him, something bad" said James "probably wants to tell us not to let our cat out"

"You know James, I think we shouldn't let her out I mean Voldemort could easily use her and get to us…."

"Oh Lily! Will you stop being so paranoid, besides you know Sirius refuses to enter the house if she is in"

"Will you stop being so moody!"

"Look who is talking, you were the one who was always bickering in school"

"Oh, and you were a cuddly little bear in school"

"Glad to know that!"

"Shut up!"

"I will if you do"

"Or maybe I will make you"

"Try me"

As all was fair in love and war. Lily moved forwards and placed her hands on his shoulders, swinging her legs up and wrapping her legs around his torso.

"Ow! Lily get off"

"Fat chance Potter"

**A misplaced Werewolf:**

"Good evening James…Lily. How are you?" asked Dumbledore as Lily served drinks.

"As fine as we can be" grumbled James, scowling at the aged Professor.

Lily glared at James before answering Dumbledore herself "we are fine professor, so what news do you bring"

"Lily there is absolutely no need to call me professor anymore, you have left…."

"The news" hissed James, not even trying to hide his disagreement with Dumbledore.

"The news….well yes. A very grim matter I have come to talk about….."

"WHAT?" James and Lily both cried out in union, imagining the worst things that could possibly happen.

"Right well…..i suppose I could phrase it like this. We have misplaced Remus Lupin"

Both James and Lily just stared at Dumbledore, completely dumbfounded. _Please tell me I heard wrong, please tell me my ears are deceiving me_ the mantra seemed to run through James' head as he continued to watch the Headmaster.

"what do you mean?" asked James, finally breaking the ice.

"I have lost contact with him, the last message received from his side was this"

Dumbledore pulled out a golden pendant, which had a wolf engraved into it. He did a complex wand movement and then tapped the pendant. It began to emit a faint glow before Remus' voice filled the room.

"Hello Albus, I am safe. I have reached a pack of werewolves but they don't seem to be too keen…..krrrrr….someone's at the door….krrrr…..whose there…..leave, no!...krrrrr….stupefy! protego!...krrr…..watch for the tail werewolf, incendio….incarcerous"

James kept looking at the pendat, hopingit would give him some clue to help in his new found quest, search for Remus. Or at least comfort him in someway .

"I contacted Sirius….he recognized the voice of the woman and I think I know the voice of the man…Bellatrix Lestrange and Fenir Greyback"


	7. Discoveries and Conclussions

_This one goes to Parle Productions, who never fail to bring a smile to my lips…._

…

All over the world, there were many sights. Birds chirped merrily in some places evoking the peace while in other places rain and thunder roared from the skies above evoking sadness or inevitable fear. Sadly, the Potters couldn't not enjoy these sights, as they lived in hiding and isolation, right now they were receiving some tragic news…

"So he was abducted" Lily spoke in a trembling voice "or is he…" no! She could not even bring herself to think that they had unknowingly lost Remus forever, it was just too sudden.

"he is not dead" Dumbledore assured them before pulling out a slim wooden stick which James recognized immediately ad Remus' wand "his wand is proof of that" at James' and Lily's confused looks he decided to elaborate "a wand, when it's master is dead begins to seek a new master. I was the first person to touch it, yet it refused to do my bidding proving that Remus is alive"

Though he didn't say it, Lily could hear the words _for now_ hanging at the end of his sentence, "so…..what do we do". To ask Dumbledore for a solution was almost natural, even as a first year Dumbledore had felt rather overwhelming to her and made her feel that somehow, he knew all the answers.

"For now Lily" Dumbledore spoke in a grim voice "we wait and watch"

James just nodded numbly as Lily and Dumbledore continued their conversation, speaking of plans for Sirius to go into hiding at Grimmauld Place.

James suddenly felt as if his world had been forced upside down. He remembered the old days, they used to think that they were immortal, for their parent's and teacher's arms were there to cover their eyes from the darkness that was slowly descending on their lives. It seemed rather surreal that they had been foolish enough to believe that one day they would get out of Hogwarts, and use their powers to chase away the evil.

It was the heat of war, the marauders were separated, and James had never felt so lonely and hopeless.

**The Clue:**

'Dumbledore fire called….he told me that Sirius is coming home. James are you listening?"

"hmmmm….."

"Well the witch was a friend, she is coming with him"

"hmmmm….."

"Sirius told Dumbledore to tell you…to tell you to hold on…..James please eat something!"

"Not hungry" mumbled James as he tapped his wand on the pendant so the massage was replayed.

"And what good will it do anyone if you starve yourself!" Lily cried. She was frustrated! Yes those were the words. The red-head was tired balancing James' depression along with her own anxiety and was very close to cracking.

James had refused to eat anything since they had received the terrifying news of Remus' abduction. Along with that, whenever Lily would try to engage him in a conversation, he would only give one word answers destroying her hopes of distracting him.

"I am just not hungry". How it was possible that James had not ate anything the whole day, yet still was not hungry was beyond Lily.

"Fine!" cried Lily "and don't ask me for food….."

"Someone tampered with the message" James spoke, out of the blue.

"Sorry?"

"Listen….after incendio, there is a small high pitched beep, as if someone tried to change the message really quickly…"

Lily nodded, quickly catching on "yeah, we read in charms that it is very hard to do that because the messages are moving really quickly…"

"but how do we find out what they were trying to hide…."

"we could try a revealing charm….though it might not work. I mean thaty seems too simple and it is supposed to be really complex magic….."

"well….that is about the only plan we have got right now, so It shouldn't hurt to try…"

Lily nodded. James placed the pendant on the table and tapped his wand on the wolf carving. It glowed for a moment, making Lily feel as if they were performing a old ritual.

"_watch out for the tail werewolf, incendio!..._revilio!...we take him to the riddle manor"

James and Lily both stared at the pendant for a moment, finding it hard to believe that their instinctive plan had worked. They both turned to each other and cried in union "Dumbledore!'

**Can I Go?:**

"I will be sending a search party to the riddle manor" Dumbledore assured the young couple once they had recalled their discovery to the Headmaster.

"Can I go?" James hesitantly asked Dumbledore.

"If he goes, so do I" added Lily, puffing up her chest as is to show that she was no less than James. It reminded James of a bird puffing up it's chest to look important and he had to duck his head to hide his grin._ Is this really the time?_

"No! someone has to stay with Harry, or don't you remember that we are no longer a wild couple, we have a son to protect and I can't…."

"Well, then why don't you stay with Harry. It isn't written in the bible that women have to take care fo the kids" Lily pouted.

"But…..Remus might need me!"

"And are you really suggesting I will not be helpful shall he need help! Well for your information I am just as capable as you are, maybe even more and…."

"Ahem!" Dumbledore cleared his throat in order to get the quarreling couple's attention "I am sorry James and Lily, but neither of you can go. Voldemort is probably aware of the close relation you hold with Mr. Lupin and this could be another one of his plans to lure you to him."

"But…."

"no James, I truly am sorry. Now if you will excuse me, I have a meeting with the prime minister, something concerning the safety of our students and teachers…."

**Mooey? Wormy? Paddy?**

Harry was confused. These past few days, his Dada had stopped playing with him and spent most of his time reading and writing. He couldn't understand why, for me was very much aware of the face that Dada and Paddy hated even touching books.

His Mama also cried a lot, and whenever she tucked him in. she didn't sing happy lullabies; instead they were heart breaking though he doubted his mother thought he could understand. But, he could understand from the way she sang them and she never finished them, her voice always broke before she reached the end. Then, she would just leave.

Paddy had also stopped visiting and he was beginning to wonder why. Paddy came to visit almost every day and then he would swing him around and play peek-a-boo with him. He missed Paddy. Whenever he asked his parents where he was, they would say he was gone.

Mooey usually came with Paddy to visit. He would usually offer to tuck him in bed and read bedtime stories to him. He couldn't understand what he was saying, but liked it nonetheless. He wondered if he had done something to make Mooey angry with him, but he told himself that Mooey was never angry. If he asked about him, he was told he was gone.

Harry wondered what gone meant, did it mean he was never going to see them again. Or maybe they were just away for a short time. He hoped the latter was correct.

He was glad wormy didn't come anymore, he didn't like him and refused to even be held by him. If ever they were left alone in the room together, instead of like Paddy or Mooey who would talk to him, he would just gaze fearfully at him. It made Harry feel uneasy and he always wondered why he did that.

He tugged at his father's sleeve but James refused to pay attention. He was reading the old daily prophets to find out what other old Death eaters hide puts there were.

"Dada!" cried Harry, frustrated that his father was ignoring him,_ again!_

"Yes?" James yawned, he hadn't slept for days and whenever be tried to a wink of sleep, nightmares plagued him. They were usually about everyone he loved, everyone he considered family dieing rather gruesome deaths, the most nerve wraking being Harry's who would cry for James to rescure him from the torture until his very last breath. He shuddered as he reminisced the dream he had yesterday.

Tomorrow would be the full moon, and Moony was still stuck somewhere with no way of escaping. He hated it, not being able to do anything!

He helped Harry climb into his lap. He knew his son was feeling left out, but Harry was too young to understand their fears. It scared James that Harry wouldn't have the childhood he wanted his son to have, scared that the horror in his son's life would not be a monster under the bed, and above all scared for what awaited, _murderer or victim_.

'Paddy?"

"He is away"

"Mooey?"

"He…he is also away…."

"Wormy?"

"I dunno champ"

Harry couldn't understand what his dada was saying, but he promised himself that one day he would understand.

**A Drunk Sirius:**

James paced back and forth. Sirius was coming back today and the search party had left this morning. Dumbledore had forbidden Sirius from going with the search party as well, something Sirius had not been too pleased to accept.

Kingsley Shaklebolt, Arthur Weasley, Hastia Jones, Mad-eye Moody and Frank Longbottom were among the search party. It was a fairly short group, but the smaller they were and the more chances they had of slipping in and out unnoticed.

James' feet seemed to move on their own accord, as he continued pacing. Emotions and doubts swirling in his mind.

Fear because of the fact that maybe it was too late to rescue their friend, relief for at least he had done something to help, and uncertainty of it being a false clue.

James touched the pendant which was resting peacefully next to his chest. As soon as the mission ended, the order was to contact him

James heard the rush of flames behind him and turned around to see Sirius clumsily climbing clumsily through the emerald flames. James almost unconsciously stepped forward to greet his friend but stopped abruptly when he inhaled the strong odor of fire whiskey emitting off his friend.

"Padfoot, are you drunk?"

"No!' Sirius declared loudly to the empty room before beckoning James forwards like a five year old wanting to tell his father a secret "yes!"

"Thought so" James muttered under his breath before turning to Sirius "you promised to never get drunk again!"

"But….but Moony made me promise that, and now he is gone!" Sirius cried.

James sighed, as if a missing Remus wasn't enough, he now had a drunk Sirius at his hands. Suddenly a idea formed in his head.

"Hey Padfoot, you want another whiskey?"

"Yeah!"


	8. Results and Leftovers

_This chapter goes to ZK23, who is one of my newest readers and also one of my greatest friends._

…_.._

**A Drunken Potter:**

"Remember the time in fifth year when Moony decided to ask Alice Virginia out. It was about time, I mean he had been staring at her like a love struck puppy for two years"

"Yeah…why did the break up again?"

James furrowed his brow trying to remember but the fire whiskey was taking his effect and the corners f his consciousness was fading. "I dunno, we are gonna have to ask ol'Moony"

"Those were good times….good times" Sirius mumbled.

"Ha! I remember why they broke up" James cried suddenly causing Sirius to jump but James gave that no heed and continued "it was two weeks later, Remus took her out and he _accidently_ spilled a whole bottle of butter beer down her dress and well….you know butter beer, it stains horribly. Moony had a purple eye for two week after that"

"You do know how he spilled his drink…don't you?"

James chuckled and nodded "it was pretty obvious after Remus spent two hours in our dorm yelling himself hoarse, you confounded him"

"I never did get why he liked her, I mean Virginia was so nosy" Sirius wondered out loud.

"For her curly long eyelashes and her innocent little puppy eyes of course"

"Whatever, there is no way she could make the trade mark Padfoot's puppy eyes and Remus was immune to those"

"Oh come off it! When you make puppy eyes it is like you have borrowed your eyes from a frog"

"Hey!" cried Sirius trying yet failing to look offended for there was a small smile tugging at his lips.

They heard footsteps headed towards the living room, realizing who it must be they tried to hastily stash the bottles into any hiding place they could find. "Okay Padfoot, Mr. Prongs would like to say goodbye 'cause Lily is coming and we are pretty much dead"

As the redhead entered the room, they hid their bottles and tried to give her innocent smiles.

"Sirius you are here, James you should have told me….are you guys drunk?"

"No! no!" they both said, shaking their heads vigorously.

Lily arched her eyebrow, knowing better then to believe the pair of them. She fingered her wand in the pocket of her gown before hoisting it out "accio fire whiskey!" Two honey colored bottles zoomed from underneath the couch and table and into Lily's outstretched hands.

"And the house elves were drinking this I suppose"

"Maybe"

Lily smirked "James….we don't have house elves".

Realizing there was no escape, James and Sirius both pointed at each other and cried in union "he started it!"

James turned to Sirius looking horrified "excuse me I wasn't aware that it was me who came stumbling through the fireplace"

Lily rolled her eyes as they began to bicker again, she found it surprising that they were friends considering that they were always ready to jump at the other's throat. "Well I am not going to yell myself hoarse at you…..but I am going to lock the potions closet" she then rounded at James "and it is the couch for you tonight. Now give me the pendant"

"But Dumbledore gave it to me!" pouted James as if Lily were his mother who had demanded he hand over all the candy.

"Because he wasn't counting at you getting drunk!"

"Fine! fine!"

A angry redhead mixed with a little things, a drunk potter was so not on the list.

**Where To Search:**

Lily watched Harry sleeping soundly, unconsciously humming her lullaby as she rocked him back and forth.

Nothing but the fact that Harry was in the house and needed a responsible guardian had stopped her from grasping the bottle from James' hands and downing it herself.

Her index finger unconsciously traced the wolf engraved into the pendant, wondering what was going on…..had they found Remus?...had he even been there?

She snuggled Harry's tiny form closer, finding his small presence comforting. She gently kissed his forehead and began toying with his hair. Her son, she was thankful, slept peacefully oblivious to the worries of the world.

Right on cue, the pendant began to buzz like a restrained bee against her bare chest. She dropped Harry into his crib, rubbing his back for a moment to ensure that he was asleep. She plucked the pendant out of her shirt and held it in her shaking hands. She softly whispered the password "Percival".

Arthur Weasley's voice drifted into the room "we are sorry James…..he wasn't there"

The message had been short and curt but at those words all her hopes came crashing down upon her. Her enthusiasm at the mere aspect of seeing Remus alive and well was destroyed and she could feel the inevitable tiredness clinging to her eyes.

She could feel disappointment settling at the pit of her stomach – _not there?_ How were they supposed to find Remus? Each time the death eaters took their captives to a new location, all of them rivaling each other in the plane of unlikeness. At this rate, Remus could be anywhere from Asia to Australia. Where were they to search?

**Comfort:**

Lily slowly stomped down the stairs, hating herself for the fact that she had confisticated the pendant from James. She despised being the one to break the news the James and Sirius. Her own disappointment was one thing, but she couldn't bare James' resigned look and not being able to do anything about that.

As she entered the living room, she wasn't surprised to see them dozing in their chairs, after all the fire whiskey the two of them had downed it was expected. But, she had still been hoping that he would be awake.

She really needed someone to talk to and while Harry was a great listener, it was mostly a one sided conversation.

She slowly made her way towards the love seat at which James sat, with his head resting at the back of the couch, his hair rumbled up (more then usual), his glasses askew, his robes wrinkled up and his mouth slightly gaping. She sat next to him and wrapped her arms around him, burying her face into his chest, burrowing into the familiar being. For once, she didn't take any heed to the stench lingering with her husband as she allowed the tears to fall.

**Silent Support:**

James groaned softly as he woke up the next morning. His head was throbbing horribly and his vision was blurred even though he could feel the frame of his glasses digging into the side of his face which was resting against the couch.

He stiffened as he felt someone pressed to his side but relaxed when he realized it was only Lily.

He wondered what was wrong. Usually when he got drunk Lily was so upset she wouldn't talk to him in days yet now here she was, as if they were just recovering from a party gone wild.

He noticed a blotch on his shirt and realized with a pang that he hadn't been there to comfort her , but why did she need it?.

It hit him like a ton of bricks, _Remus!_ The events of last night abruptly came back to him and he began to feel the anxiety pouring into his body. Was something wrong with Remus?

'Lily?" he called her name, as he tried to wake her by gently shaking her shoulder. Her eyes fluttered for a moment before opening to reveal hazy sleep-laden green eyes.

"morning' she said groggily in a husky voice as she rubbed sleep out of her eyes.

"Lily….what happened last night?"

"You and Sirius got drunk" she replied sheepishly. Her gaze wandered to the couch at which Sirius had been snoozing earlier only to find it vacant. He had probably left after figuring out what had happened, though it didn't appear that way Sirius was quiet good at reading people's actions.

"And…" James urged her on, a terrible fear constricting his heart. If Lily was refusing to talk about it, it must have been bad.

Lily sighed, _there was no escape!_ "They…..they didn't find him" she finished wearily.

James held Lily's gaze, hoping that there was more to it than just the naked fact that Moony had not been found. He wished he could do something to erase the anguish in Lily's eyes. When Lily didn't continue James realized it was a fact, it had been a false trail probably planted by the Death Eaters, or maybe they had realized their blunder and tried to cover up their tracks. Without saying a word, he wrapped his arms around Lily giving her his silent support.

**Aye Captain!**

Sirius groggily drifted back to consciousness. He could see the blurry interior of the Potter's living room forming before his eyes. He groaned as he held his head and rubbed his temples, he could feel a killer headache slowly reaching it's peak.

As his eyes cleared, he could see Lily pressed into James side and wondered idly how that had happened. He grinned as he realized that maybe she had decided to join them but…there was no way she would put Harry in jeopardy like that, after all she was the responsible one out of the couple.

His memories of last night were hazy, he remembered opening his father's wine cabinet. The cabinet was his now but, in his mind it was still his father's. He could remember deciding to go to the potter house and then James offering a next drinks then….nothing.

Remus! His mind suddenly clicked on what he was missing and his head reeled coming up with a thousand suggestions. But there were only two left as he ruled the others out. Lily was sleeping next to James, but she wouldn't be here if they had found him, if he had been…no! Lily would have awoken them if that had happened. So…..they hadn't found him.

He sighed and got to his feet. He cast one look at his best friend and his wife, a small smile on his lips. These were dark times, and they would need each other's help to get through them. He dizzily walked to the fireplace and took a pint of floo powder from the small case resting beside the hearth.

He dropped it into the fireplace and a emerald fire roared within it. Sirius stepped in, feeling a wave of heat pass through his body. He spoke his destination clearly "Number twelve Grimmauld place!" and he was whisked away from the Godric's Hollow.

His feet hit the ground and he took in the familiar living room. He had been living in his ancestral home for almost one year yet the house remained as gloomy and dark as it had been during his childhood. He slowly made his way to the guest room where he had told her to stay.

The door creaked softly as he opened it. He winced and looked at the bed to make sure she was asleep….the bed was empty!

He cautiously called her name, his eyes running around the room. He heard a clank from the bathroom and moved to investigate it, at the same time plunging his hand into his robes and fingering the handle of his wand.

His hand wavered a little as it neared the door, maybe he was just being paranoid but the paranoia was totally called for with the war going on. He grasped the handle and had been preparing to open it when the door swung open.

He heard a small cry as she appeared from the bathroom, her hair damp. "Oh it's you" she said with a sigh "good, last night you just wandered off and totally freaked me out! I went to the kitchen and found two empty bottles of fire whiskey. Could have given me a decent warning but I decided you could handle yourself so I went to unpack"

'Sorry" he muttered sheepishly.

"It's okay" she said airily "so…'

"So…" he said, confused

She rolled her eyes at him "may I please know where you wandered off to in your fragile….in other words spiffingly drunk state dear sir"

Sirius chuckled "I went to James house"

She nodded before asking "and when do you plan to introduce me to them?"

"Right now! Get dressed"

"Aye captain!"

…..

_I assure you I didn't simply forget to tell you people her name, u will find out in the next chapter, review please :-)_


	9. Katherine White

**Katherine White:**

"I will go and start breakfast" said Lily, loosely tying her neatly brushed hair into a pony tail as James stepped out of the shower cursing about his pounding headache.

After a quick check on Harry, who was still fast asleep in his cot she went to the kitchen to begin preparing breakfast. Deciding that toast and coffee ought to do, she pulled open the door of the refrigerator. Besides, James barely ate anything these days.

The toast sizzled softly and she could hear coffee boiling behind her. She grabbed the steaming hot jug of coffee and settled it on the table as she saw James making his way down the staircase, his unruly hair still wet from the shower.

He held out a mirror, that Lily immediately recognized as the two way mirror which was owned by her husband and Sirius. "Sirius called" he said "wanted to tell us that he was coming over". James frowned slightly before continuing "he was acting all mysterious, said he wanted to introduce us to someone"

Lily hummed in indication and pulled the toast out of the frying pan and neatly lined them up in a platter. She balanced it in one hand, her other holding two plates and forks. She placed them on the table and a uncomfortable silence followed.

James, who hated uncomfortable moments as much as anyone else, broke the silence "Lils…I know you said you would lock the potions cabinet but…..can I please have a headache potion, it is killing me!"

Lily smirked, taking the topic to hold on to "nu-uh"

James took a deep breath, as if doing his best to not simply pounce at his wife and force her to lock it "please…"

"On one condition" she said after a moment's thought.

"Anything!"

"You will start eating"

"I do eat" James said with a frustrated sigh.

"Well you will eat more"

"Fine! Fine!"

Lily shot him a smile "you can go get it, the cabinet wasn't even locked"

"Hey!" James cried as he stormed out of the living room, and into a small storage room they had beside the kitchen.

James reappeared in the kitchen a few moments later, placing a empty vial on the table. A low buzzing filled the room, warning them that someone was trying to get through the floo.

"That will be Sirius" James exclaimed excitedly. Lily pointed her wand at the fire place to allow the visitors to pass. Sure enough there was Sirius climbing out of the fire place, and following him closely was a girl who seemed to be about their age, give or take a few years.

A lock of silvery blond hair rested neatly over her forehead, beneath which she had sapphire blue eyes. Her blond curls bounced slightly as she brushed soot off her blue, velvet dress. A slight blush was slowly creeping up her cheeks.

"Guys" said Sirius "this is Katherine White, the French witch"

"Hi! I am Lily Potter" said Lily, extending her hand towards the new comer and smiling at her though her smile seemed a little forced. Katherine gave a hesitant smile back and shook Lily's hand.

"And I am James Potter" supplied James with a warm smile. Katherine shook hands with him too.

"Sirius talks a lot about you" she said with a gaily smile "and of course about your son Harry'

"Speaking of which, where is that handsome godson of mine"

**Kitty!:**

"Aw! You were right, he is adorable" cooed Katie as Harry tried to suck his thumb, though Sirius kept pulling it out.

"Don!" cried Harry as Sirius once again took hold of his thumb and pulled it out. Harry turned his head away from his godfather and resumed what he was doing, clearly thinking that if I can't see you, you can't see me.

"Oh come one pronglet!" Sirius chuckled and pulled it out. Harry let out a high pitched scream before settling down to glare at his godfather.

"Just let him do it" said Katie, shaking her head at his antics.

"And have him sucking his thumbs when he is at Hogwarts and the ladies want a piece of him, no way!"

"Sorry! I forgot you were supposed to be his mom"

"Whatever, here I will introduce you since he clearly hasn't noticed that there is a big unknown woman sitting in his nursery"

Sirius readjusted Harry in his lap so that he was facing Katie. "This Harry, is Katie, come on say it Kat-ee"

"Kitty!'

Sirius looked at Katie who gave him a small smile.

"Fair enough champ, now quit glaring and give Ol'Padfoot a welcome hug"

Harry giggled feebly and wrapped his tiny arms around Sirius' torso, burying his face into his godfather's chest. This earned a aw from Katie.

"Well then since Paddy is back you don't have to get dresses by you bipolar mummy, come on now!"

**The Vow:**

"James! Don't tell me to stay cool; he let a unknown woman accompany him to our house! What is the use of us setting up those enchantments if strangers are going to our house anyways?"

"Lily….i am sure he had his reasons. Besides, it isn't as if she could give away our location even if she wanted to"

"Oh yeah and it will be a great help if we simply welcome Death Eaters into out home"

"Well he must have trusted her enough to bring her here. And you have to admit, she doesn't look the dark and dangerous types"

"Looks can be deceiving" Lily said hotly, clasping her arms together over her chest. She couldn't believe it! Sirius had risked their safety for some stupid girl he had met a few days ago. What angered her more was James' attitude; didn't he realize how big this was?

"I will talk to him" James sighed as he heard a ripple of laughter from upstairs, probably belonging to Katie.

A few moments later, Sirius and Katie reappeared making their way down the staircase. Harry was being held by Katie though he didn't seem to like it very much for his lower lip was trembling and his eyes were swimming with tears.

"Sirius please take him, he is going to cry" Katie begged Sirius, taking in Harry's appearance

"nah! He unfortunately looks wa-ay too much like James; honestly you should see his baby pictures. It is as if someone was pointing a wand at him instead of a camera" chuckled Sirius "and I will take him if he starts bawling like crazy"

"Sirius he is REALLY going to cry!"

Sirius hurriedly took Harry away from Katie as the toddler clenched his eyes shut, preparing for a high-pitched scream. Thankfully, Harry quieted down as soon as he found himself in the familiar arms of his godfather and gave him a small smile.

'Um….Padfoot, can I talk to you for a second?" said James once they had reached the kitchen and Sirius handed Harry over to Lily.

"Sure!"

James and Sirius both moved towards a corner. James sent a hasty glance Katie's way. Lily was now chatting animatedly with the other girl, trying to keep her distracted. But it seemed that Lily was actually having fun.

"Okay mate, I am putting it bluntly 'cause I don't know any other way….what the hell is she doing here. We are supposed to be in hiding remember"

Sirius blinked, looking confused. There was a moment's silence before Sirius clasped a hand on his forehead "yeah imagine me to forget. Well James it went like this. Professor Dumbledore said that he noticed we were really _close_ and that I would probably want to introduce her to you guys. He said that he couldn't allow it for you were in danger and as we were amidst a war, they couldn't rule out any suspects. Katie it seems doesn't like not being trusted. She kind of reminded me of Lily when she did it but she whipped out her wand and said she would make a wizards….well a witch's vow not to betray you guys"

James looked surprised "so she vowed on her magic?"

"That's I just said right!"

"Wow….she must really like you"

"Well…um yeah"

Sirius wasn't sure how to explain it, but he felt as if she was the one. He remembered himself telling James to forget about Lily for she was probably never coming around, just pick another girl and try it. James had simply said that even though they had never gone out, he felt that he would be betraying Lily by doing as he suggested. Sirius was just glad that his didn't take so long to come around.

A few moments later, James told Lily all that Sirius had told him and she was slightly more welcoming towards the newcomer.

"Aren't you French….i mean White is a British name and you have our accent as well"

"I am British actually. I lived here till I was nine years old, then I moved with my mum to France. I didn't know French so I was homeschooled"

James being his usual blunt self said "so are you two together or what?"

Katie immediately bowed her head, and her cheeks were now flaming a bright red color which could easily rival Lily's hair. Surprisingly, there was a faint blush on Sirius' face too. Sirius blushing was a privilege the James had always been denied; oh he couldn't wait to get started!

"You are aren't you!" cried James, grinning madly "Whatever happened to Padfoot's code of existence"

Lily roared with Laughter while Sirius turned to glare at James "don't even remind me prongs!"

Katie looked confused "code of what?...am I missing something"

"Something about never marrying girls" James said innocently.

Sirius' eyes flashed, promising James revenge.

Katie turned to Sirius looking horrified "I didn't know you felt that way about guys Sirius"

"WHAT! ew Katie seriously"

"No, siriusly" said Katie, affectionately rumbling up his hair.

Lily watched them and smiled, maybe a girl for Sirius was not such a bad idea.

"So come one Padfoot, tell us all about how you met her. That is Lily's department but I am bored!"

So Sirius began telling them all about the happenings of France, Katie filling in the details.

…

_Hopefully, tomorrow will not be the end of the world (I think it is just a cock and bull story) and I will be able to post more chapters. Review :) _


	10. They Meet

**I Fall, You Fall**

Sirius sighed. After doing the same thing for a long time, he was tired of glaring at the table. He was quiet surprised he hadn't burnt a hole through it. He couldn't really help feeling miffed, after having had been working for two long days, he had expected some outcome yet here he was, exactly where he had started.

The thunder clapped in the skies above, illuminating the many buildings in the city but at the same time making the thin streets look darker. Rain pounded on the roofs, like the hooves of many racing horses.

Sirius at the moment was sitting in a small, crowded pub which seemed quiet trendy to the French. It was called bon'appetite. Honestly speaking, Sirius reckoned he had never seen a more boring pub. He had snorted as soon as he heard the name, who named a pub that!

All the research work he had done the past few days had been fruitless. He had asked everyone whom the French witch had conversed with about her. He had managed to draw only one conclusion; she was definitely using a glamour charm or polyjuice potion.

Everyone seemed to tell him that she had different hair color, from black to brunette to blond. A old fellow went as far as to say that her hair was neon green (though seeing his little niece, she couldn't out-rule that).

One thing that was same was the eyes. All had told her to have rather exquisite, sapphire blue eyes.

While he was pondering this, a woman who seemed to just have entered adult hood watched him with a curious expression. After a moment's thought, Katherine seemed to reach a decision and moved towards him.

"Hey!" said a jolly voice, so unlike how Sirius' would have sounded breaking him out of his musing. He averted his gaze to see who it was. It was a girl, who seemed to be his own age. She was wearing a rain coat and a hood so he couldn't see who it was but there was a lock of blond hair sticking out from under her hood.

"You mind if I sit down" she asked him, and without waiting for a answer she sat down on the chair in front of him.

He was about to say_ I didn't even say yes_ but stopped himself, the one think his mother's grooming had taught him was to not be cheeky with strangers.

"You new here" she asked him. Surprisingly, her speech wasn't thick with a French accent like the others' was.

"Yeah" he said "how do you know?" he asked her curiously.

"Oh just your expressions" she shrugged.

Sirius arched a eyebrow "my expressions?"

"Well most of the bachelor blocks here are always hitting on other girls. And I have never seen anyone this miserable while sitting here"

"And how exactly did you I was miserable?"

Sirius was sure that if she had her hood off, he would have seen her blush "I was spying on you"

"Thought I was charming huh?" he said in a teasing tone.

"Oh shut up!" she cried throwing off her hood. It revealed a mass of blond curls which extended all the way till her waist. She had round, blue eyes and a round face complete with a small nose. She seemed quiet plain, but the effect changed when she smiled, she was quiet beautiful.

"So you know any place better then the dumpster you guys call a pub"

"It is not a dumpster!"She cried "but I guess we could find someplace else".

They both got up and moved towards the door. As they neared it, the girl tried to pull her hood up and Sirius snatched her hand.

"What?" she asked him.

Sirius simply smirked. Taking out his wand, he pointed it at her rain coat and said "evanesco!" the coat immediately disappeared, revealing a parrot green jumper over skinny jeans.

"I will drench!"

"I fall, you fall"

**That One!:**

Sirius let his gaze wander around the box of chocolates, preparing for revenge. He chose a off-white one and placed his index finger on it, indicating her to eat it.

Katherine gulped; she had been eating these chocolates ever since she was a child and would, even when half asleep avoid the white ones. She reluctantly lifted in off the box, and forced it into her mouth. She immediately felt the bitter taste touch her lips and swallowed it quickly. "mm…delicious!" she lied, not wanting to give Sirius the satisfaction that he had gotten her.

Sirius pouted, how come he always got the bitter ones and she got the good ones (she had been pretending for a long time). He took the brown one, with white stripes that Katie had offered and nibbled it; it seemed okay so he ate it. "woho! My first good one. How come I keep on getting the bitter ones?"

Katie laughed "because I have been doing this since I was like nine years old"

"Hey! No fair. I am not into this anymore"

Katie frowned, trying to think of something else to kill time with. "well…..my friend dared me to do something. You want to try it?"

"What is life without a little risk, bring it on….what's your name again?"

Katherine laughed, realizing they did not even know each other's names "Katherine White, you can call me Katie"

"Sirius Black at you service ma'am"

**A Damp Splendor:**

"I drive!" Sirius cried excitedly, taking in the shiny Muggle car they had rented.

Katie turned to him looking surprised "you know how to drive?"

"Yeah! I used to be a driver to the Muggle prime minister before I joined the order"

"Joined the what?" She asked, jumping slightly and turning around to look at him.

"Oh…..nothing" mumbled Sirius, realizing his slip.

"You said you joined the order" she insisted.

"it's a band, me and my mates made it" he invented, hoping she would buy it even though the excuse sounded lame even to him.

Katie smirked, clearly showing that she had not bought it "are you a member of the order of the phoenix"

The panic was immediate, Sirius plunged his hand into the pocket of his jacked and pulled out his wand. Holding it aloft, he pointed it directly at her chest "how do you know about the order" he growled.

Katie held out her hands as a sign of defeat "I am a friend, honestly" she said "I have been trying to find information about you guys for ages"

"Why?" he asked her cautiously, slowly joining the dots. Was she _the French witch?_

"I wanted to join" she said hastily, feeling uncomfortable under the wand point.

Sirius narrowed his eyes suspiciously, his wand had wavered a bit but he stood his stand "why?"

Katie gulped, her eyes filling with tears "they killed my family" she said in a thick voice.

Sirius was shocked. He slowly lowered his wand and stared sympathetically at the girl standing in front of him. She was his age, but he knew that her parents must have been important to her. His own had never really cared, so he had learned to live without them.

His eyes downcast, he mumbled "I am sorry"

She sniffled and continued "well can't blame you. You probably have those goons at your throat 24/7"

Sirius nodded. There was a stony silence between them. He slowly lifted his head and averted his gaze to the car. "So…..we have the car. What's the dare?"

She turned back to him looking surprised at the sudden change of topic. Carrying the lead to forget about what had just happened, she said "we have to drive it through the water"

'That is not freaking possible Kat!"

"Don't call me Kat!... and we have to find a way to do it"

"You are Kat to me. I don't think it can be done, unless we just cast a repelling charm on it….."

"That's it" she cried "a water repelling charm, oh that will look so magical"

Sirius blinked "wow! I am a genius"

Katie cast the water repelling charm and they both climbed into the car.

"You didn't really drive the Muggle prime minister's car did you?"

"Are you testing the truth of my statement" asked Sirius, looking horrified.

"No, only your sanity"

They plunged into the icy waters and the beautifying effect was immediate.

The water, which looked blue in the moon light scattered away from the car as giant, beautiful waves. Their vision was obscured by the jets of water shooting around them, as the water tried to avoid the car a flew all around them.

Sirius, smiling, turned to Katie to find her transfixed, looking at the splendor a simple charm had provided. Sirius' smile grew watching her lips form a "o" in amazement. Though he didn't realize it, Sirius Black was in love.

…..

_Well, I hope u guys like it and would like to wish you all a happy Christmas in advance. Review :-) _


	11. Remembering a McKinnon

_This chapter goes to the writer of the fan fiction "Aurors don't cry". He/she was the first person to inspire me to write._

…_.._

**Owl:**

"And here we are" finished Sirius, swallowing his toast he pushed his plate away.

"Urgh! Sirius not you too. I can't force feed both you and James" groaned Lily as James also pushed his plate away.

"Not hungry" they both chorused in union. Lily sighed and simply continued eating, knowing she was fighting a losing battle.

"So….they couldn't find Remus" said Sirius glumly.

"Yeah" said James with a resigned sigh "I miss the old champ"

"I am sure they will find him" assured Katie, uneasily patting Sirius on the back.

"They are not even looking!" cried James with a hint of annoyance in his voice, though Lily couldn't really blame him. It was true, Dumbledore had simply chosen to wait until by miracle the next clue appeared. The rational part of her mind told her to stop being stupid, what was the old Headmaster supposed to do if there were no clues to help them in their search. But, even Lily could sometimes be irrational.

_Tap! Tap! Tap!_

James looked at the window, his chin furrowed in suspicion.

"Who could send an owl through post" James wondered out loud, remembering that part of the enchantment was that no one could send owl for it was impossible for the owl to find their house.

He cautiously approached the window, one of his hands digging into his pockets and fingering his wand while the other reached forwards towards the window. When he opened the window, a small tawny owl flew in and obediently stretched out its leg on which a small scroll was neatly attached.

James rid the owl of it's burden and glanced at the writing, recognizing it immediately "It's from Peter" James informed them, as they were growing cautious and getting to their feet as if expecting the paper to shoot a curse any moment. Upon his words, they relaxed and he heard Lily mutter in the background "only he could do that"

"He is going to visit" James exclaimed brightly earning a grin from Sirius who cried "finally!" ,reading the letter. It was short, simply saying;

_Prongs, I will be visiting soon._

_Wormtail_

"So how old is Harry?" asked Katie, smiling at the toddler who had decided to amuse himself by drawing patters on the table with his cereal.

"He turned one this…oh my god! Can't believe I forgot. What did you guys do on his birthday?"

"Oh just a quiet tea with Bathilda, it is like you said we couldn't have anything too big" said James smiling at his son. The aspect of Peter visiting seemed to have had cheered him up –_a bit._

"And did he get my present" grinned Sirius.

"No, Lily confisticated it"

"What! Why?" whined Sirius, sounding awfully like his animagus form.

"Speaking of which, Sirius Orion Black I want to have a word with you. You should have given him something sensible, giving his a broomstick; he might as well have broken his neck…"

Lily ranted on for about five more minutes before realizing that no one was even listening. Sirius was poking Katie on the side, insisting that she do something while Katherine shook her head vigorously, saying that she was still sane and thus would not do as he said.

Lily pouted and crossed her arms on her chest glaring at James who was watching the pair with a amused smile. James from some six-sense he seemed to have noticed this. He wrapped his left arm around her and gently planted a kiss on her cheek. "Don't worry Lils, you are still my favorite lady"

**Marlene:**

It was almost 7 o'clock when Peter climbed out of the emerald flames.

James, Lily and Sirius were overjoyed to meet their little friend again and rushed forwards to greet him with Katie tagging along, nervously tugging at her hair. She had not been acquainted with him yet, but knew enough to feel that she knew him, after all Sirius did never stop talking about the legendary marauders.

Peter though, did not look as happy as he should have on being reunited with his friends. James and Sirius wasted no time in enveloping Peter in a bone-crushing hug, one he returned half-heartedly. Once they let go, he began fiddling with the edge of his robes and spoke in a quavering voice "the Mckinnons…..dead"

Sirius stumbled back as the force of the news hit him. Images of the girl with uncontrollable blond hair drifted back to him.

_Marlene talking mysteriously about a prank they were planning together…._

_Marlene complaining about the exams being too difficult…._

_Marlene with her head tipped backwards, laughing heartily…._

_Marlene leaning towards him, her eyes almost closed…._

Lily lifted a shaking hand to her lips as memories of her dorm-mate and one of her best friends came back to her. She, Marlene and Alice had been dubbed as the hot trio. Lily had been annoyed, Alice didn't seem to care as for Marlene, she had found it hilarious. The ironic fact was, all three of them were taken.

She and Marlene had almost always fought when she found out that Marlene had yet again aided the marauders in one of their pranks. "It's all good fun" she had said, shrugging it off.

"How do you get it to lie flat?"She had one asked her as she sat down once again with a comb in her hand, looking like someone had challenged her to duel. "I was born this way" she had grumbled, half asleep herself.

She had been a amazing girl, she had been the feisty one out of their group but all the same was also the most sensible one when Lily chose to be stubborn. She had been a beautiful, with a big problem –_her hair!-_ she couldn't understand how the death eaters could do this, they were still children themselves.

James unconsciously moved towards Lily as he felt grief engulf him. Marlene, oh yes! He remembered her. She would help them out with pranks from time to time, but there was a greater thing due to which he would forever be in her debt. She was one of the main reasons he and lily were together, for that he owed her his happiness. She was the one who had helped Lily understand her feelings for James.

"Um guys….who are the Mckinnons?" asked Katie's hesitant voice.

"Friends of ours…." began James but was cut off by Peter's exclamation "you! What are you doing?"

"You know each other?" asked a puzzled Sirius, looking from Peter to Katie.

Katie shot Peter a glare, _stick to it!_ etched on her face. "our mums knew each other…"

In their grief stricken state, no one noted that Peter's parents had lived in Britain while Katherine had _supposedly_ lived in France.

"How did it happen?" asked Lily in a numb voice.

If it was possible, Peter grew even more uncomfortable "well Lily….no one blames you guys but Voldemort is growing even more restless. It is not normal for people to simply disappear off the globe so he is hand picking your friends and Marlene was close to both you and Alice so….."

There were no words needed to explain what had happened, she could understand his silence. She let out a wail of despair and would have fallen down if James' arms had not circled around her and kept her upright. She clutched his arms, feeling her broken nails digging into his skin but couldn't stop herself and held on to him as if her life depended on it. burying her face into his chest, she sobbed.

**Remembering a McKinnon:**

James was sitting in the middle of a three-seater sofa. Lily was practically in his lap, her legs blocking the space beside him and her head resting on his shoulder. She had stopped crying a few moments ago and had resigned to staring into space. Sirius was sitting beside James and Katie was sitting on the arm of the sofa, her arm resting in a comforting manner on Sirius' arm. Peter occupied a empty chair and Harry was sitting quietly in a corner, playing with blocks. He seemed to have realized that the adults were rather tense and decided to not add his own disturbances to it.

"I went out with her….in fifth year" said Sirius out of the blue. It seemed a ritual to them now, one of their dear ones would be lost, and they would sit together and review their memories of them. Remembering them with laughter amidst the tears.

"She had a crush on you since third year" sniffled Lily, sitting a little straighter but making no move to get out of James' lap.

"It was fairly obvious" chuckled Sirius "so; I decided to give her a chance"

"I was a bit surprised when she turned out to be the one who ended it. I mean you were known as the heartbreaking machine"

Sirius rolled his eyes "those _heartbroken_ girls should have known what they were getting into"

"Should I know what I am getting into?" asked Katie with a mysterious smile.

"Honestly Kat, stop being all mysterious. You haven't even let me begin"

"Don't call me that" grumbled Katie but decided to let it drop nonetheless.

"She was married to a Muggle wasn't it?" said James, ignoring the happenings of the room. Over his years at Hogwarts, listening to Sirius rambling on, he had gotten rather good at ignoring his voice.

"Yeah…" mumbled Sirius, frowning slightly "her wedding was two weeks after yours was it not?"

"Yeah it was, I was her bridesmaid…"

A silence lifted, it was neither comfortable but at the same time it didn't make them feel uncomfortable. They all just sat there lost in their own thoughts, wondering what they were missing and what needed to be remembered, for you don't realize the importance of all your happy moments, before they become mere memories.

"I am going to go….get a drink" squeaked Peter before fleeing from the room. The rest continued their conversation.

"She always complained about her hair" laughed Lily, reminiscing all the times she had had with the girl "she cut in down in second year, said it was too much to care for"

"We teased her about that" chuckled Sirius "but she didn't seem to mind. Funny that is, most of girls would have hung us upside down by the ankle"

"Well she was a bit of a tom boy" said James, smiling.

"I bought her a straighter for her sixteen birthday, though she seldom used it said it took too mush hard work"

"She looked prettier that way, but it wasn't her" said Sirius.

"I hate it!" Lily cried suddenly, breaking everyone's chain of thought and attracting their attention to her.

"What?" questioned James.

"The war" cried Lily, her voice breaking with every word she spoke "Remus is g-gone, might be dead for all we know. Marlene is dead and…..and harry, poor harry, he is caught up in all of this because of that stupid prophecy….."

A gasp made her stop, and along with that she realized her slip._ Oh no!_ She had completely forgotten that Katie was there. She turned to the other girl and found her gazing at her in shock, one of her hands clutching the material of Sirius' shirt to keep her from toppling over.

"Um guys" said Sirius, hesitantly "should I tell her. She did vow so we are not in any trouble…"

"Go ahead Sirius, the cat is already out of the bag" said James in a dangerously low voice, which he usually used when he was fighting to stay calm. He then turned towards Lily, grabbed her wrist "we need to talk" and pulled her to her feet. She was surprised to see anger flash dangerously in her eyes as he without waiting for a answer guided her out of the room.

...

**Right guys I know that I suck at writing. Some of you probably see my writing and are like **_**why does she even bother?**_** But I am a eighth grader, who is not a native English so excuse the few grammatical mistakes. I am actually hoping to get better, but till now not mush is coming by…but I am not one to back down from a fight, so all I want to say is, excuse the mistakes and if I forgot to capitalize anything, sorry.**

**And if any of you are interested in how James and Lily got together (in the vanquisher series) see my story, a hogsmead weekend and a Halloween ball.**


	12. Unexpected Visitor

_This chapter is dedicated to Joe Rowling, I realized I hadn't dedicated one to her so this is for her and the magical world she brought into my life._

…_._

**Shattered:**

"You need to be careful about to whom you go blabbering our secrets!"

"Me! Tell your best friend to not bring every bimbo he finds on the streets into our house!"

"Don't you go blaming it on Sirius!"

"Yeah that's right, defend him!"

She pressed her lips together and exhaled sharply, trying to calm herself. No! she would not cry. She could feel her lower lip trembling and hung her head so that it was out of James' sight and was covered by her long hair. She could now only see James feet as he continued pacing.

"Katie wouldn't know if you hadn't…" he began but was cut in by Lily's sharp cry.

"I slipped okay! You can go tell your precious Sirius that I am sorry". Lily stormed out of the room as the memories of seventh year abruptly came back to her. About how they had fought, she had thought that to be the final straw, that she had lost him for good.

Marlene had been the one who had helped her overcome it, Sirius helping with James. If it weren't for Marlene, they would probably have parted ways a long time ago. Now, she was gone. Lily clenched her eyes shut trying to push the bitter memories away, yet the hot wet tears continued t fall.

James clenched his hand into a fist, suddenly overcome with the urge to break something. He was frustrated, _that is damn right!_ His eyes rested on the glass goblet lying innocently on his bedside table. He wrapped his shaking hand around it and tried to push all his anger, anguish and frustrations into his hand. He was surprised the goblet didn't shatter because of the pressure he was enforcing on it as he hurled it at the wall.

It shattered the crack as it broke sounding like a death drum to James. Its pieces rained down and scattered around like tiny skittles just like his world had been shattered. Grasped from under his feet and shattered right in front of his eyes.

He sank to his knees and turned to look at the mirror. It wasn't the jolly prankster with his alive hazel eyes that met his gaze; instead it was a young man with dark bags under his dull eyes. Time had not been kind to James Potter.

**Talk Time:**

"I think I will leave….not exactly welcome at the moment" said Katie in a small voice, staring pensively at the staircase up which James and Lily had vanished.

When Sirius shook his head to let her know it wasn't her fault, she stopped him "I think I need some fresh air, it will help clear my mind".

"Well I sincerely doubt you will get any fresh air at my place, that place in stinking and…."

"Goodnight Sirius" she said more forcefully as she moved towards the door, opening it to let the cool air in. her hand stood elevated on the handle and she turned around, with one last glance his way she disappeared into the night.

Sirius sighed –_ time to talk to James-._

Sirius was making his way upstairs when Lily stormed out of the room, her eyes red rimmed and tears falling freely down her cheeks. "Lily?" he asked her, intending to find out if she was okay but she pushed past him and stumbled into Harry's nursery.

He watched to closed door of his godson's nursery with a unreadable expression. He thoughtfully stroked his brow, wondering what to do. Half of him wanted to run away from this mess_ -I am no good with this emotional drama!-, _but the other part wanted to help out with the mess that weather he liked to admit it or not he had created.

_CRACK!_

Chills ran down Sirius' back as the sound of the resounding crash reached him. He was no stranger to James flared temper and could guess what the crash had meant. He slowly opened the door, cautiously turning the handle and hesitantly peeked inside.

James was on his knees next to his study table, his face turned towards the mirror of Lily's dressing table (it was his too, but he scarcely used it). Two drops of blood trickled down his outstretched palm, unnoticed. They left behind thin traces as they rolled down and stained Lily's off-white carpet.

"Oh prongs!" sighed Sirius before reaching out for the first aid kit. Sirius was experienced at this. Whenever Lily and James would have a fight, something breakable would make its way into James' hands and it would find itself hurled at the first wall in James sight. Sirius had lost count of how many broken vases and glasses he had repaired and how many wounds he had tended to.

James allowed Sirius to tend to his hand, he was as used to it as Sirius was. He was glad his friend worked in silence for he was able to straighten his thoughts. His anger was slowly ebbing away, leaving behind a burning guilt. Lily had lost one of her best friends at the hand of evil, and he had fought with her. He hardly he would have given a moment's thought to what he was saying if one of his friends had died.

"you shouldn't have gotten angry with her…."

James felt a sudden urge to defend his actions even though he himself knew it was wrong "she need to be more careful, we cant have the whole world knowin…."

"Katie promised, I don't get why you are so stubborn on trusting her" huffed Sirius, closing the first aid kit with a click and moving to the table to place it back.

James watched him for a moment, supposedly deep in thought "magic and vows don't earn trust Sirius" he said finally as Sirius once again seated himself beside him.

Sirius moved his jaw from one side to the other, clearly annoyed with the fact that his pseudo family was reluctant to trust the girl he supposedly (though he was not sure) loved. He wasn't sure what the feeling meant, he had said "oh! I love her" to almost every good looking girl he set his eyes on. Their charm lasted for a day or two, but Katie's glamour was everlasting.

"I have to go talk to her" James voice made Sirius attention snap back to the matter at hand.

"Finally he realizes it" exclaimed Sirius, shaking his head at the ceiling. He got to his feet and helped James up.

Before walking out of the room, James turned around "about Katie….i will try mate" his voice was quiet sincere and Sirius knew he meant it.

"I know mate, now get your romantic self out there and get some making up done!"

**So Cold:**

Lily sat in Harry's nursery, looking out of the window which was usually covered with blue curtains. She could hear her son's deep breaths and tried to make her's follow. She could hear people walking outside, the excited squeals of children as they played. All those people were so happy.

She, like always decided to lose herself in music.

"Oh you can hear me cry"

She didn't blame James for this. How could she, to him he had already lost his best friend and was starting to feel very insecure. He still hadn't lost hope, but entwined with the golden hope was the inevitable fear. Then, she wasn't sure she was to blame either. She knew that when she was upset, her composure would slip away. The only one to blame was Voldemort.

"See my dreams all die"

Slowly one by one, all her dreams had died. At Hogwarts, she had thought that after graduation she would join the ministry, preferably as a Auror and she would support a happy, whole family. Yet here she was unemployed with her family living as outcasts.

"from where you are standing, on your own"

James had to watch, and so did she as their promises and dreams for a happy life were destroyed into smithereens. But she despised self pity and the only one who did deserve self pity was little Harry. He was a poor child who was not even aware of a war going on even though he was at the exact center of it.

"It's so quiet here"

Silence, it was all she heard now. She could hear little girls laughing in the distance and craved that she could turn back time. Go to that time again when she was so young, clueless yet happy and never have to look at the dark mess her life had turned into.

"And I feel so cold"

Cold, it was like a hollow, gaping hole in her chest which reopened whenever another loss of the war was brought up. There was no cure to seal it, and no pain killer to soothe the pain. _no solace, no sanctuary._

"This house no longer, feels like home"

Even with the crackling fire and the sweet smell of her own cooking, Godric's Hallow would never feel like home for she knew the reason for which they there. Potter Manor though was rather big, had felt like home for she had felt that it was a prize, no a safe house that though would keep her safe, would not keep her happy.

"Lily?" asked a voice from behind. Yes, he had come like he always did. She turned around to face him, her green eyes meeting his hazel.

**Unexpected Visitor**

"This house no longer, feels like home"

A sad smile crept up James face, as always Lily had vent her feelings by music. He had often heard her humming a lullaby to Harry and her voice seemed to evoke a peace deep inside him but this just awoke sadness.

He opened the door. Lily was sitting near the window her red hair resting on her back. Maybe it was just his imagination, but her hair had lost it's fiery glow and was lank and dull now. "Lily?" he said in a low voice.

He saw her hurriedly wipe her face and turn around. One thing that would never change was the everlasting fire in her eyes.

"came to continue the fight, after all a Potter cannot stand being walked out on" she said in a slightly strained voice, tucking a lose strand of her hair behind her ear.

James shook his head and moved forwards. Instinctively, Lily took a step backwards but her feet were already pressing against the cold wall, she had nowhere to flee to.

"I am sorry" she was surprised by how much emotion she could push into those words which he had spoke untruthfully to every teacher at Hogwarts. But, she was not one to forget and forgive easily.

"Leave me alone" she said, unconsciously leaning backwards as he continued moving forwards.

"I was scared Lily…the fight is pretty pointless…"

"James can we talk about this tomorrow….I am tired" she made to push past him and walk away but as she neared the door, the sirens went off indicating a magical breach.

"It's the floo powder!" cried James from behind her "I cast the charms on it, someone is trying to break the wards…"

As they rushed down the stairs, they could hear Sirius throwing open the door of the kitchen. As they neared the fireplace, James could sense who was on the other side from the recognition charms he had cast. But no, it couldn't be!

As Sirius lifted his wand to block the fireplace for good, James cried "NO! It's Remus!" and his friend turned to watch him with the expression of mingled surprise and fear that James could easily relate to. The idea that Remus had managed to get back to them though was a happy one, it was too nefarious to be true.

Still, trusting his instinct James swished his wand and the fireplace opened. Out fell the bruised and bloodied form of the man that the trio in the room would recognize anywhere, Remus Lupin.


	13. September Ends

Lily sat huddled in a corner, watching with frantic eyes as James continued to pace back and forth across the small waiting room. Sirius sat beside her, his head in his hands and his face covered by the dark curtain of his hair.

James it seemed, was filled with a restless energy and like he always did when anxious, he began pacing. He had tried sitting with Lily but after changing his position again and again, he had given up and allowed Sirius to take his place.

In between it all, Lily was sure Sirius was crying but couldn't tell for his face was well hidden. She had seen his shoulders shaking but he could just have been panicked. She knew that the boys were like really close brothers.

Lily found her concerns divided. While she was concerned about Remus who at the moment lay beyond the emergency room's doors, she could feel her mind wavering to little Harry who she had left in Bathilda Backshot's care. _Is he alright?_

Whether Remus was going to be alright or not? That question remained unanswered. Upon seeing the bruised and broken form of their friend, they had done what any sensible person would have done. Put on the best disguise and rushed to the hospital.

They had made up a fake story that they had found him in their back yard for it would have been rather difficult to explain to them how the long lost Potters who had seemingly vanished from the earth without leaving a single clue had reappeared.

Sirius appeared a few moments later, claiming to be Remus' close friend who had been informed about the events that had transpired. Worried about their patient, the healers had accepted their story.

The healers after the small dialogue had refused to tell them even a word about Remus' condition. They had seen people rushing bottles of potions into the room, but even Lily the potions whiz couldn't recognize them. Resigned, they had given up even questioning the healers about it.

Sirius slowly lifted his head and glanced at his wrist watch "it had been bloody two hours, are they ever going to tell us everything!" he cursed.

The nurse close to them shot James and Lily a confused look, clearly wondering why the couple had stayed to check on a stranger who had appeared in their backward. Upon noticing Sirius' glare, she hurriedly averted her gaze to the stack of parchment resting on the desk in front of her.

After what felt like an eternity, a healer walked out though unlike the others who scurried away from them before they could even say hi, this one headed straight for them.

Sirius and Lily got to their feet, glad that at least they would now know how Remus was. James too stilled and turned to face the approaching woman.

She saw them waiting and with a tired sigh said "he is messed up"

Fearfully, Sirius asked "what?"

"Outside, it is just few cuts and bruises which can easily be healed. The main problem is inside, I don't know whether you know or not but he is a werewolf" at seeing Sirius nod in understanding (James and Lily remembered that they supposedly didn't know him) she continued "according to our tests and…a werewolf and silver don't exactly match"

It took Lily a moment to comprehend what had been said"silver poisoning" she said in a low whisper.

The healer nodded "and a bad case of that"

James heard it all, but not the words he most craved to hear "is he going to be okay?"

"We are trying the best we can, but we can't make any promises"

The truth hit James like a bomb shell, the healers weren't even sure if Remus was going to live or not.

"Can we see him?" Sirius asked pleadingly.

The healer nodded before walking away, she urgently whispered something to the nurse who had earlier been watching them suspiciously. The nurse gave a small nod before slipping out of her chair. "This way" she said, leading them towards the door.

Lily followed her silently, hoping that what waited wasn't too bed, hoping that he at least looked better than he had when they had gotten him here. She shivered as she remembered the blood which had coated his robes, the bruises which had littered his body and above all his troubled, shallow breathing which had been caused by the poison.

She entered the room and once inside she wished she hadn't for there was Remus, his face as pale as the bed sheets on which he lay. There was a thin, transparent mask covering his mouth which ensured that he got enough oxygen. Angry black bruises covered his torso and she was sure they covered the rest of his skin too, but it was covered with a white wool blanket. His veins seemed to stand out as purple strands, a allergic reaction of the silver which coursed through his veins. She shivered again for she knew how much it would have hurt should he have been lucid.

Though, it wasn't the pale skin or the bruises which made it look bad, instead it was the potions which he was hooked to. He seemed to look small surrounded by the bottles, fragile and vulnerable.

Lily made her way to his bed, seeing out of the corner of his eye as James and Sirius copied her action. Her finger stroked the bottle which was filled with transparent liquid, and there were threads of silver floating in it. She turned around and walked so that she stood beside his bed. She turned her eyes to the vacant chair beside the bed. Taking the unspoken invitation she collapsed onto it.

She saw James sit in the small vacant space on the left side of Remus' legs, Sirius on his right.

James placed his hand on Remus', and then turned to Sirius. Sirius gave James a weak smile before placing his on top of theirs. "You remembered" he said in a hoarse voice. They both turned to Lily who leaned in her seat and joined her hand to theirs.

The three turned to Remus but no reaction came. "You're going to be okay" they all said in union. They turned to each other, a moments silence and they burst out laughing.

Lily looked back at their tangled hands, they had done that when Sirius had been unconscious in Hogwarts after an attack in Hogsmead….

_James furiously kicked the wall in front of the Hogwarts infirmary. Lily fearfully jumped back away from him taken by surprise, Remus was sitting on the floor, his back pressed against the wall. James pressed his hand against the cool wall and rested his forehead against it, his breathing erratic. His robes were torn; his hair even more messed than usual. His face was covered with soot and there was blood flowing down his right cheek which supported a deep cut. _

_James closed his eyes took a deep breath and opened them again. There seemed to be cracks running through his vision, it was expected for his glasses to be broken but somehow it seemed to require too much energy to take them off and repair them._

_The other two people who accompanied his in the cold hallway outside the hospital wing didn't look any better. Lily's hair was tangled and filled with soot which also covered her face. Her torn black cloak was tucked around her legs and there was a purple bruise slowly blossoming on her right temple._

_Remus' hair was tasseled and looked almost brown for it was coated with blood. The left sleeve of his robes was torn and there was a bandage on his shoulder blade, Lily's handy work._

_Peter was standing beside the open window, looking out at the Hogwarts ground. He by far, looked the best out of all of them for instead of fighting he had taken to hiding in the Leaky cauldron where all the first years, second years and a chosen few third years were being protected by Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick. The fact that he was a seventh year and should be fighting didn't seem to bother him._

_The one they were all afraid for, was Sirius. They had brought him in, with his chest coated with blood. There had been a lengthy, deep cut running across his torso, curtesy to a dark cutting hex. Since it was dark magic, Madam Pomphrey wasn't sure if she would be able to slow the bleeding in time._

_She had sternly told them to not even try to get inside, that would do nothing but distract her from the matter at hand. If they wanted their friend alive, they would respect her wishes so of course they waited outside._

_Lily scooted closer to Remus, shivering as the cold air hit her on her neck. She looked out of the window, night would be falling soon. She then turned to the closed door of the hospital wing, wondering when they would get any news….._

_She looked at James, who was now pacing. With every step, he seemed to grow more frustrated shooting frantic glances at the closed doors._

_She watched the hallway, the light was slowly fading away and the darkness was growing. It was just the case with the wizarding world. She could see James, who now looked like a dark shadow pacing impatiently. Peter whose frame was illuminated by the rays of the moon flowing into the hallway. Remus who sat besides her staring into space._

_She could feel herself growing drowsy, the hallway seemed to grow even more darker and the last thing she remembered was her head falling onto Remus' shoulder as she fell into sleep. She heard him whisper "James….Lily is asleep". There was a pause and then James replied "let her, we will wake her up when it's time" and she knew no more._

"_Lily?" someone was shaking her, she waved her hand and groaned she wanted them to go away. She was developing a killer headache and wanted nothing more than to fall back into sweet oblivion._

"_We can see Sirius now, come on!"_

_Sirius….Sirius….Sirius. she shot up as the early events rushed back to her. "we can see him! is he okay?" she asked breathlessly, her voice husky._

_Remus and James who had awoken her smiled and nodded. Lily sighed in relief._

_James helped Lily up and wrapped his arm around her torso, leading her into the hospital wing with Remus in the front, Peter tailing behind._

_The bed at the end of the ward was the only one occupied, so they all proceeded to it._

_Sirius looked quiet unlike himself. The face which had looked merry and handsome at the beginning of the day, was now pale and sick looking. He wasn't wearing a shirt and a white bandage covered her torso. His breathing was deep and peacefully._

_Watching him breathing, they consoled themselves._

"_Not looking very good now are we Padfoot?" James whispered softly, seating himself on Sirius' bed. Remus shook his head bemusedly and took a seat beside Sirius' legs. Peter sat down in the vacant chair, Lily taking the other._

_James looked at Remus, they both smiled. "Can't break traditions" said James, Lily was not sure what they were talking about but it seemed the others did._

_James and Remus placed their hands on top of Sirius' pale one; Peter got up and joined his hand to theirs. Lily felt uncomfortable; this seemed to be a "Marauder" thing. What surprised her more was when the boys turned to her, a look of pleading in James eyes._

_Lily understood, they wanted her to join her hand. But she also understood that if she did that she became a part of their brotherhood. What surprised her even more was that she didn't hesitate at all, moved to stand kneel down beside James and placed her hand on top of Peter's. _

_James turned to her with a happy smile and pressed his lips against her cheek. She understood, understood that she had in a way promised her life to James, her loyalty to the Marauders, she didn't mind._

That night marked the ending of the month of September. The Marauders sat in the hospital room, not knowing that the end of their loyalty was coming to an end, that there happy ending would never come. They didn't know that this was the last time they saw Peter as a friend. the clock struck 12 and the month of October began.


	14. Aftermath

Sirius threw his over coat to the floor not bothering to hang it on the wall. Fuming silently, he moved across the dark hallway.

He hated Dumbledore! As soon as he had got there, the Headmaster had ordered him, James and Lily to go back to their respective houses for it was unsafe in the hospital. James had been about to argue when Dumbledore reminded him that he had left his son with Bathilda Backshot, so they had left.

Sirius had wanted to punch the old man, what good was he to his friends if he wasn't there for them when they needed him the most. He had spoken to Dumbledore, saying that he wasn't supposed to be in hiding so he could stay with Remus.

His answer had been that Remus' abduction and the death of Marlene McKinnon proved that Voldemort was nabbing James and Lily's friends, so both him and Remus would be much safer in separate places for it was no use if they piled up the prey all in one place to be caught conveniently.

Begrudgingly, he had agreed and apparated home.

Now, here he was. He opened the kitchen door and was about to slam it across the wall but caught the door abruptly not wanting to wake the slumbering Katherine who had probably fallen asleep while waiting up for him.

He felt guilty for having had abandoned her as he watched her bent in a uncomfortable position with her head resting on the worn out dining table. He glanced at the clock, it was midnight! Well, there was no use waking her up now.

He was about to leave when he realized he should probably wake her and tell her to go to her room. He liked it, how they seemed to have reached an unspoken agreement that they were going out. He was no good at going down on one knee and reciting words which made him sound like a love-struck idiot. From what he knew, she liked it too.

He wondered where they were heading; it was probably a fling to her but then...was it something more to him?

Sirius pushed the thought away. "You don't get a son, you get a godson. Godsons are cool but being a father..." his own voice seemed to echo across his head. A serious relationship meant a soon-to-be wife, and a wife meant kids. Oh brother! Only god could help him now.

He gently shook her shoulder, calling her name. She gave a small sigh and batted his hand away, other then that gave no indication of having had heard him. He tried again but once again got total ignorance at her part.

He sighed and scratched his neck. It didn't feel right to just leave her here, and he knew he would pay dearly if he dared do so. Well, he would have to move her himself.

He wrapped one arm around her torso, the other under her arms and with a mighty pull managed to pull her into his arms. She wasn't as heavy as he thought she would be. He slowly moved his arms from under her back to her legs, the other supporting her head which had previously been lolling backwards.

Katherine narrowed her eyes and then as if used to it buried her face into his chest. Sirius moved consciously, painfully aware that this was the first time he was carrying a sleeping girl. The girl in question simply slept on, not realizing that she was being carried.

He reached the guest room and pushed open the door with his leg. He moved to the empty bed which had inviting bedsheets calling out to him. Carefully, he knelt down and placed her on the bed. He slid his arms from under his body and was about to move away when he felt something tug the hem of his T-shirt.

Confused he turned around and saw Katie's wrist attached to his shirt, a silver star of her charm bracelet digging into his shirt. He took her arm and knelt down do that her arm wasn't hanging any more. He freed himself with his free hand and laid her's across her chest. Despite himself, he smiled as he left the room after tucking her in.

*****  
James went straight home while Lily went to pick Harry up. He went to the living room and unceremoniously dumped his jacket, believing that Lily would for sure pick it up later, or force him to pick it up.

He didn't even wait for his wife and son to return and stormed to his bedroom. Everything was as he had left it, there were even some sharp pieces of glass lying around. He ignored them and fell face down into his bed. He could hear Lily putting Harry to sleep, thus assured that no harm had come to his son.

He was relieved the Remus had been found that he was probably going to be okay. But, James wasn't satisfied and he knew well enough that he would only be satisfied when he saw Remus lucid again, which as far as the healers knew wasn't going to happen anytime soon.

Lily entered the room, and didn't bother to even talk to him. She knew that if she tried to spark a dialogue with him, his answers would be short and curt thereby destroying all possibilities of having a conversation. So, she let him have his space. James was glad she decided to do this.

Lily went to the bathroom to change, closing the door behind her. James sighed and threw his arms over his eyes breathing deeply. His mind was a whirlwind because this time, the war had hit too close to home. He wondered if any of them were safe. For a moment, he expected Voldemort to just appear out of the darkness and attack him. All the shadows seemed to be Death Eaters, the clinking of metal in the bathroom sounded like them trying to break in.

James didn't bother changing, he kicked off his shoes and crawled into bed not even pulling the sheets up. He felt weak even in the circle of protective enchantments, once again the craving for being in the center and fighting grew.

Lily came out, still didn't say a word. She sat on the bed, he had his back turned to her but he knew because of the slight pressure on the mattress. "I know you are awake" she said in a low voice.

James chose not to answer, he was pretty sure Lily didn't expect him to answer too.

Lily lay down beside him and pulled the sheets over both of them. She wrapped her arm around his torso and buried her face into his back. Though they both remained awake for a long time, none of them talked but chose to dwell on their thoughts; thoughts of the war.

The next day brought nothing more than anxiety to the two Marauders. Remus lay unconscious in a hospital, while Peter hadn't contacted them. James wondered if Wormtail had even gotten their message.

The two marauders decided to vent their feelings together, thus Sirius was invited to Godric's Hallow. Lily had warmly invited Katie too but the other girl had been reluctant. Then again, resisting the Black charm is even more hard then resisting the Potter charm. Lily till this day was the only woman able to resist the Black charm, but that didn't matter for the Potter charm would always do her in.

So, it is safe to believe that Katie was dragged to their house by Sirius who refused to leave her behind. When the Katie appeared out of the fireplace, her hair was rumbled and her clothes were wrinkled. She was scowling at Sirius.

Without a word to either James or Sirius, she moved towards Lily and stood beside her with her arms crossed, a permanent annoyed expression etched to her face. James looked at Sirius, wiggling his eyebrows in order to ask his friend what had happened. Sirius just shrugged and playfully winked at Katie who gifted him with a heated glare.

"Sirius….what did you do" Lily asked Sirius who was trying, and in her eyes failing to look innocent. She knew the face too well.

"I might have dragged her from her bed and into the fireplace" Sirius replied sheepishly.

"Levitated" Katie mumbled "and threw me down the stairs".

"I lost my concentration" Sirius defended, glaring at James who was snickering into his hand. Lily was trying to look serious but was failing miserably.

"You could have told me to simply walk!"

"And would you have" asked Sirius with a raised eyebrow.

Katie paused; everyone in the house knew she didn't want to come. "Probably not" she admitted.

Sirius clapped his hands together "there!"

Katie refused to talk to him till lunch time.

That afternoon, The boys were sitting in the living room talking about some absurd prank they had played on the Slytherins, so after a few disgusted looks the girls went to the kitchen to prepare lunch. It turned out; Katie was hopeless at cooking so the blonde stood in a corner and allowed Lily to work.

Katie stood on her tiptoes and looked into the pan. "So we are having….spaghetti".

"Sirius loves them, reckons they are better the James' mum's, James always disagrees" said Lily.

"Must be hard, living with two goons" Katie said with a small laugh watching as the boys proceeded to argue on whose idea the prank had been.

"Trust me, you don't want to know" laughed Lily, shaking her head.

Katie nervously shuffled her feet "so….your friend in the hospital….is he going to be okay?"

Lily looked up from the bowl and watched her with a unreadable expression. She shrugged "we don't know yet..." she whispered finally, turning back to the bowl.

"Sorry…..I couldn't ask Sirius….he was really worried and I didn't want to bother him" Katie said hurriedly.

"It's okay" Lily assured her "James was worried too. How was he when he got home?"

"I dunno" Katie replied sheepishly "I was asleep, he had to put me to bed"

She didn't know why, put Lily was smiling in a knowing way.

Katie helped Lily set the food, and also learnt the best way to make the two boys respond.

Taking hold of a metal tray, she took and wooden spoon and banged it against the tray. James and Sirius who had earlier been having a heated discussion about pranks jerked up, but the conversation had differed. It seemed more animated, as if they were trying to avoid pointing out the elephant in the room. The two boys shot up from their chairs and went to the kitchen.

Lily went upstairs to wake Harry who had decided to have a lay in. she emerged downstairs later on carrying a teary eyed baby. Lily immediately handed him over to Sirius "you love him don't you?" Sirius nodded dumbly "well he is all yours", so that left Sirius to take care of the newly awakened and absolutely annoyed baby.

Katie sat beside Sirius, and as soon as Harry saw her he squealed "kitty!"

"That is no fair! I am his godfather and it took him almost nine months to say my name"

"You were teaching your name to a one month old, for me it's a one year old" said Katie, accepting the wriggling child from Sirius' arms. Harry sat in her lap for a while toying with her curls and pulling them to see if he could straighten them. Finally, he seemed to grow bored and turned to James "Hawy go to Dada"

"And here I thought I was free" sighed James, wiping his fingers on his pant leg he accepted his son. The child did the one thing James always dreaded him doing. He pulled of James' glasses and pushed them onto his own button nose. The glasses tumbled off his nose and James hurriedly caught them before pushing them on.

"Nah!" cried Harry "gimme!"

"Sorry Harry but Dada can't see without them" said James batting his son's hand away. Harry chose to sit in his lap and sulk.

"You know Lily, you are the best cook alive" said Sirius "you are lucky I didn't taste her cooking before James otherwise you wouldn't oomph!"

James had playfully punched him on the head "at least leave some girl alone Padfoot"

Sirius didn't realize how uncomfortable he had made Katie feel.

It was evening when Sirius and Katie decided to turn back to Grimmauld place. They were all gathered in the kitchen near the fireplace. Sirius took the small vase which contained the floo powder and was about to take some into his hand when a silver lynx glided in, speaking in Kingsley's deep voice, it said:

_Remus is awake and he is asking for James_

The shattered vase remained unforgotten near the fireplace as they rushed to the hospital.

_**and i just saw that i have 1000 views, THANK YOU!**_


	15. The Escape and The Decoy

Remus tried to push past the descending darkness, hoping to reach the light which seemed to grow in the distance. The darkness though was too heavy and he found himself losing.

"-keep him stable...think he is coming to...too early for that...call Sirius black...no he is a close friend...they found him..."

Voices echoed around him. He tried to decipher what was being said but they were talking too fast and he was too tired. Sirius Black? He knew that man, he knew he did. He concentrated, trying to find something that would help him in pushing through the dark abyss which at the current moment surrounded him

He suddenly got a vision, of a laughing boy with wavy black hair, there were memories attached to the small picture, voices which he felt he should recognize...

"The Slytherins aren't gonna like that..."

"Sure Moony and I am a flobberworm"

"Nice one James!"

James? The boy was important. He had to tell him something, something important. Suddenly, his mind cleared and using his friend's memories he found a strand of light which just got bigger.

He opened his eyes and light exploded around him making his head throb. He immediately closed him eyebrows and spoke the name of the one person seeing who was most important to him at the moment, "James?"

"Remus can you hear me?" a man's deep voice asked him.

Remus nodded "call James" he said again, this time noting how hard it seemed to make out these words.

"I will call him Remus" said the deep voice which after a moment Remus recognized as Kingsley. Yes he would get James for sure.

"How do you feel Remus?" a new voice asked him, this one he did not recognize. Curiosity took over and he opened his eyes, a man with a white beard watched him with concerned eyes. He lurked his head to a side and looked at the wall. White, he was in a hospital but how had he gotten there. Suddenly the events of his escape came back to him...

_Remus could hear the Death Eaters changing guard outside his cell, he had to escape._

_The pain which had earlier been a dull ache had now taken a full swing and taken a turn for the worst. He tried to take a deep breath but it seemed hard to inhale too much air as it seemed to catch in his throat. It felt as if liquid fire was slowly coursing through his veins, reaching his heart and trying to cause it to stop._

_He glanced at his hands, the prominent veins seemed purple and swollen. The full impact of the poison was reaching and if he didn't make his escape soon, he wouldn't last long and would probably die._

_The shuffling of the footsteps in the manor alerted him of someone being close enough, he leaned against the wall, wishing that his hands weren't bound behind his back. He closed his eyes to fake sleep. The best way, would be to make them lose their alertness which they were soon to do if the realized that he was unconscious._

_But, as his lids fell he could feel the edges of his consciousness dimming and fought for control. His strength was waning, he was tired….so tired for having had fought for so long, the pain was too much….._

_The scraping of metal alerted him and his eyes snapped open, it was dark so he couldn't make out who it was but could see the silhouette of someone but thankfully they were alone. There was a click of metal and suddenly orbs appeared in the corners of the underground dungeon, illuminating it._

_Remus squinted trying to adjust to the light. He wondered who it was, whenever they came in they never turned on the lights. He opened his eyes and now that he could see clearly he realized it was a woman, the frame was too curved and thin to be a man's._

_She came to kneel in front of him and he just stared back at her, tensing as he anticipated her next move. _

"_Are you Remus Lupin" she asked him in a low voice, hastily glancing towards the door giving Remus the impression that she wasn't supposed to be here. _

_Remus nodded mutely, for one blissful moment wondering if he was safe. But, why would a faceless death eater want to save him?_

"_Listen you are going to die unless you get out, there is a concealed hallway at the end of this corridor, it's password is Merope, open it and it will lead to a fireplace, go!" she said hurriedly as if she had rehearsed this until she could say it all in one breath._

_Remus watched her as she moved to the door and peaked outside, glancing rapidly across the corridor. "Get out now!" she snapped at him, wanting him moving._

_Remus got to his feet, all his instincts shouting at his to not listen but what other chance did he have. His body seemed to protest as a wave of dizziness over came him and he leaned against the cold stone wall as he waited for it pass. He saw the woman beckon him forwards and he stumbled to the door._

_She caught him as he almost crashed down and ushered him out of the door. He glanced at both sides of the corridor, one led to a new corridor and the other to a blank wall. He turned to her and asked "why are you doing this?"_

"_Would you rather stay here?" she snapped._

_He watched her, why was she helping? But there was no denying he needed help. He moved to the empty wall and whispered in a hoarse voice "Merope"._

_A rumble sounded and he watched as the bricks rearranged themselves, making way to a fireplace. He saw a vase resting beside it and took it into his shaking hands, realizing that he was indeed going to escape. He turned and watched her one last time, catching her blue eyes and saw no darkness in them, he saw sincere light. He let the powder drop and stepped in to the flames speaking the name of the place where he knew he would always be safe "Godric's Hallow, Potter's house"_

_Many fireplaces flashed around him as he spun rapidly, all his body parts complaining and flaring with pain. He saw a opening and stumbled out, seeing James' worried face he felt relief engulf him and let oblivion overtake him._

"Remus?" the healer asked again, his hand checking Remus' pulse.

The healers hand felt too cold making him uncomfortable. He tried to pull his away but it was held firmly by the other man. Remus shivered, feeling cold yet oddly sweaty at the same time. His head continued to pound furiously and the urge to see James was disappearing. He wanted nothing more than to fall asleep again.

"I think he is developing a fever" the healer informed his assistant who was a girl, probably sixteen or seventeen.

"Should I get a reducer?"

"No….it says in his files that he is allergic to some of the contents…..get a dreamless sleep potion, it is nothing serious"

"In a moment sir"

Remus sighed and pressed his head against the pillow, wishing that he could just disappear within them. A cool vial was pressed to his lips, and he without a moment's thought drank what the holder had to offer. Marveling the feeling of the pain in his body disappearing, he fell into sleep.

The whispering voices woke him; he shivered involuntarily as cold air hit him on his chest. Someone pulled the blanket which had been lying on his legs onto his chest and gently patted it. He tried to understand who it could be, his first thought was of his mother and he mentally laughed. His mother was in Italy. Lily! And he knew where she was James was there.

"He is smiling…wonder what he is doing that for"

"Shut up Sirius! Do you want him to wake up?"

"Actually yeah, I do want him to wake up"

"Sirius?"

"Yes prongs?"

"Shut up!"

Remus opened his eyes, blearily looking around. The room was dark but he could detect the outlines of three figures sitting beside his bed. He sighed and blinked furiously, trying to clear his vision. He brought his hand to his face, intending to rub his eyes when he detected the outline of something covering his nose and lips. He traced the outline and realized it must be a mask ensuring his breathing.

He pulled at the edge, wanting to take it off. He had to tell James, tell him what he had told the Death Eaters. Lily took hold of his hand and pulled it away "you aren't supposed to take it off"

Remus shook his head vigorously; they had to understand that every moment they spent oblivious they were in danger. Lily stared helplessly at him but allowed him to take it off.

Remus turned to James who was watching with an anxious look, "I have to tell you something" he said urgently.

"It can wait Moony, you need rest" James assured him with a small smile.

"I have to tell you, now!" he insisted.

"Okay….." James said hesitantly, shooting Lily a hesitant look.

"Does Sirius know about Harry" he began, looking at Sirius. The last thing he wanted was to tell Sirius more than James and Lily wanted him knowing.

"I know about the prophecy if that's what you mean" Sirius said in a low voice.

"I told Voldemort….I didn't have a choice they brought Greyback and…"

"Remus we don't care what you told them, all that matters is that you are safe…"

"I told them that Peter is the secret keeper"

A moment later James, Lily and Sirius sat outside in the waiting room after being unceremoniously thrown out of Remus' room for his vitals were becoming abnormal. They knew he felt guilty and that his heart was probably racing which was not good in his condition. James was bothered that he didn't even get a chance to tell Remus that he didn't care.

"We could just change the secret keeper' Lily suggested in a timid voice.

"Yeah….we still got…" James began but was cut in by Sirius

"Peter is away again, I asked Dumbledore. It will be too late by the time he gets back"

"So now what" sighed James.

"Use me as a decoy" Sirius himself had thought it was fairly simple and was surprised that it didn't occur to James or Lily "you guys tell everyone that I am your new secret people. Voldemort will think you changed it and go for me"

"What about you" Lily asked him "I don't want you dead!"

"I go into hiding" Sirius stated as if it were simple "I quit my job at the ministry and stay in Grimmauld place"

They didn't know, that they had just given Peter Pettigrew the best cover story, and that at this moment he knelt in front of his lord, stating that Black had been secret keeper till now, that the Potters could be found at Godric's Hallow.

Sirius rested his head against Katie's shoulder who herself was fast asleep, James' head lay in Lily's lap who stroked his hair, Remus drank yet another sleeping potion and pressed his cheek against the cool pillows, Peter went to the dark guest room in Malfoy manor grinning at his success and the praise he had received from the Dark Lord. The Marauders fell asleep, oblivious to the flaws in their plans, to the huge crack in their loyalty, to the danger and tragedy with loomed ahead.

It was dark above, only a few stars winking in the night sky, the moon shining brightly. Lord Voldemort observed the skies, seeing the moon as the light, the skies as his own darkness. He could see the clouds slowly swallow the moon, just like he would trample the order of the phoenix. On the Halloween night, the month of October would end and so would the threat Harry Potter posed. He could hardly wait.


	16. Discharged and the London Attack

Remus knew he was dreaming, he knew it was a nightmare, he knew he wouldn't be able to wake up.

The glass crunched beneath his feet as he moved inside the old, rotten hut. It was dark and Remus felt quite proud, he was going on a adventure. He was curious, curious of the howls which usually sounded from the hut. His parents had forbidden him from going near the hut, but his parents stopped him from a lot of things and most of them were fun. A child's curiosity is a dangerous thing.

He heard a soft, menacing growling noise as his heart jumped to his throat. He breathed in slowly as he turned around, his hands clutching the fabric of his trousers. His heart thumped rapidly and he felt as if his breath had been clogged in his lungs. For once he took heed of his parents' advice to never go near the lone hut, but it was too late.

Two gleaming eyes approached him from the darkness, forming first a nose then slowly a furry face. It's teeth were barred, stretched out in a threatening manner. They glinted venomously and Remus began to back off.

A growl sounded, Remus turned on his heel and tried to sprint away, to make his escape.

Pain shot through his arm as he felt it's sharp fangs dig into his upper arm. He screamed, poking the wolf in it's eye. He tried to free himself but he could feel his flesh tearing under the sharp teeth. Not knowing what else to do, he tipped his head back and screamed "MAMA! PAPA!"

He gasped as he awoke. White, everything was white. It took him a moment to remember his surroundings, he was in the hospital.

He felt someone move near him and tensed. He moved his head to a side trying to make out the blurred shape which had just entered the room. He was glad that daytime had come, the night had been a hard one and the darkness itself had been unnerving.

He knew it was no one he knew, the person had brown hair and was surely a girl. Maybe it was the assistant who had basically forced the sleeping potion into his mouth.

He flexed his fingers, glad that pain didn't shoot through his hand at the movement. His vision was starting to clear too and now he could make out the frame of the assistant. She was indeed a girl. She was wearing light blue robes and by the looks of it she was completely oblivious to the situation he has been in before she entered, or maybe she was giving him his space.

A crash made Remus jerk and a slight jolt of pain shot from his chest to his back. Breathing slowly he leaned back and turned his gaze to where the assistant stood.

"Shit!" she swore as she knelt down and began gathering the broken pieces of glass with her hands. Gathering then and then wrapping them into a paper she dumped them into the dustbin and cautiously turned to him. Seeing him awake, she bit her tongue "I am so sorry I awoke you!'

"I was already awake" he assured her.

"Oh!" she mumbled.

Remus frowned; his deduction that she was an assistant was probably true. Even now she was wringing her hands together and was going slightly pink, in other words she had no idea what to do with him. She glanced at the door before turning back to him.

"Do you want me to call the healers?" she asked him.

Remus shook his head "I feel fine"

"Then your friends maybe?"

"They are still there?" he inquired. He had expected them to leave, James and Lily were supposed to be in hiding and a public hospital was not a very good place for either them or Sirius. He immediately felt guilty; he had placed them in enough danger already.

"They are yours aren't they, two girls and two boys?" she asked him "because otherwise I have all the authority to kick them out, especially the brunette guy"

Remus laughed, the _brunette guy_ was Sirius in disguise. But, he was still sure that only Lily had come to the hospital. "The brunette guy would be my lousy friend….but I am sure that there should be only one girl"

"There are two, both blonds" she answered as she peaked out of the room. One of the blonds had to be Lily in disguise…but who was the other?

"What did he do anyways?" he asked her wondering what Sirius had done to make her upset.

"Oh he" she said shaking her head as she reemerged inside the room "he admitted his undying love for me because I had saved his erm…..dear Ol' Moony. That was until his girlfriend came up and wacked him over the head"

His girlfriend? Well that at least solved the case of the other girl. She was probably some Order member who was at the current moment Sirius' one-millionth girlfriend.

"I will call them in for you" she voluenterred before walking out of the room.

"I didn't catch your name?" he called behind her back.

"Gretchen Lovegood!" she cried.

As had left, Remus decided to watch his surroundings. The room as all hospital rooms were was totally white. There were screens around his bed but they were at the moment pulled aside. The room was rather small, his bed was pushed to a side and on the other side there was a table containing incomprehensible bottles of potions, some of which he had seen early in the hospital wing of Hogwarts.

There was a crash and a small yell from outside. Yes, that would be Sirius waking up. It was followed by the shout that he immediately recognized as James' "will you shut up Padfoot!". Remus smiled, some things never changed and he hoped they never did.

He could hear footsteps slowly travelling to his bedroom. He waited all the while wondering what their reactions would be like, he hadn't got the time to know their reactions last night.

Lily was the first to enter and even through the blond hair he could immediately recognize her. There were red lines on her cheeks as she walked drowsily into the room. She gave him a sleepy smile before collapsing onto a chair. James who had entered beside her also gave him a smile before saying, "did you really have to wake up that early, I needed some decent sleep"

"Sorry" Remus muttered sheepishly before glancing at the door "where is Padfoot?"

"He is outside trying to drag Katie in-inside" yawned Lily.

"Katie?"

Much to his surprise, James burst out laughing "oh Moony! You missed a treat. The love struck Sirius Black…..I should have gotten some pictures of his goofy grins you know, it would be epic!"

Remus blinked still shocked, the Sirius Black he knew treated women like a toy….had he been gone for that long?

Just then, the door opened and Sirius walked in. Following him was the mystery blond girl which he had come to know as Katie. Sirius had a firm grip on her wrist and he practically dragged her to his side.

"See, he didn't bite" said Sirius winking at Remus before turning to Katie.

Katie glared at him "and how can you blame the woman for trying to give you some space?"

"I am not a hormonal teenager girl who needs space you know!"

"It's hard to tell" Katie grumbled lowly but everyone heard her. Sirius' surprised shout was drowned by the other's laughter.

"This is Katherine White" Sirius introduced her before sitting beside James and glaring at her. She laughed and shook her head at his antics before turning to Remus "pleasure to meet you Remus"

"Pleasure is mine Katie" he replied with a soft smile.

"And that is what you call manners" she rounded at Sirius who in turn crossed his arms over his chest and rolled his eyes.

Remus couldn't help it as he smiled; he somehow felt that Sirius had needed this. He had needed a girl who would bug him to hell yet he would not say a single rude word to her.

He was intrigued by Katie, her appearance gave her quiet the form of a shy sweet girl but the way she talked was quite the opposite. Speaking her mind gave her quiet the glamour. She would be good for Sirius, Sirius had always ran after a girl who had beauty to match his looks but at the same time had brains to go with the beauty, enough brains so that she could look into his eyes and just talk.

Another thing about Katie intrigued him, her quaint blue eyes which were so like his rescuer's eyes. But it couldn't be, how could there be a death eater secluded in this beautiful, talkative girl?

There was a knock at the door and the healer which had been treating him earlier walked in.

He surveyed the room before smiling at Remus "you will be happy to know that you can leave tomorrow"

…..

The next day, Remus was moved to Grimmauld place and at the current moment sat inside a chair near the fire with Sirius.

"So what is it like…..to be living in your old home again?" he asked Sirius. He knew how much his friend had hated the house, living in it again ought to have had brought up old, bad memories.

"Takes every ounce of self control I have to not just burn it to the ground" Sirius said bitterly as he looked at the kitchen. It was dark and no matter how brighter the light of the fire glowed, there was a deep bitter darkness embedded right into the walls of the house which had housed many evil families over the generations.

The door creaked as Katie entered. Sirius arched his eye brow "and where are you going all suited up or whatever" he asked taking in her dark black skirt and cream-white blouse.

"To visit a friend, I haven't met her in ages" she replied " she lives in Muggle London, thought I should tell you guys."

Sirius nodded absently and Remus laughed, Sirius seemed a bit occupied in watching Katie.

Katie smiled before turning on her heels and leaving. Her absence seemed to break Sirius out of his stupor and he turned to Remus "what were we talking about?"

"Nothing special" he replied. He wasn't sure he liked the bitter look that came onto Sirius' face whenever his family was brought up.

"Do you like Katie?" Sirius suddenly asked him out of the blue.

Remus blinked, was Sirius suspicious of him for having romantic feelings for Katie? "In what way?"

"You know…like in character…do you think she is a nice girl…or erm" Sirius stuttered.

Remus chucked though inside he was deeply relieved "she is perfect for you Padfoot" he assured his friend.

"Thanks mate" Sirius grinned.

Just then, the fire turned emerald. They both jerked towards it, the order members only used the fire for emergencies, and this never meant good news. Hestia Jones' face appeared in the fire "Sirius we need your help! Muggle London has been attacked!" she cried breathlessly.

Before either of them could answer her, she had disappeared. Sirius was already getting to his feet and he turned to Remus "you stay here Moony…if you feel sick or something….floo to James' place okay…I will be back as soon as I can"

Remus nodded miserably, he knew he would be useless in combat when he could barely make his way to the bathroom without his legs buckling. Then, something clicked in his mind _she lives in Muggle London…._

"Sirius!" he cried out, he had to tell Sirius about the other danger.

"What!" his friend cried from the hallway.

"There is something you need to know!"

"What Moony! I don't have all day!" came Sirius' annoyed reply.

"Katie went to Muggle London!"

There was no answer except the sound of the door banging shut. Remus couldn't see Sirius but knew he would be as white as a sheet. "Be Careful Padfoot" he whispered to no one in particular, but he knew that his advice was useless. Sirius was never careful if someone he loved was in danger.

_This chapter is not very good, I know sorry but I had to go to a wedding and also wanted to upload the next chapter because I have a –one chapter a week- policy. so….this was a bit rushed, sorry._


	17. The Secret

it was ironic how the streets of a city even during day time could look so dark and sinister. The streets of London were usually filled with the voices of merry shoppers who had come to the market place to kill off some of their time and blow off heat from a tiring day, this day the streets were filled by the shouts and painful filled shrieks of both men and women alike as the death eaters roamed the streets, spreading with them death and darkness.

Sirius moved through the street. They were outnumbered, almost four to one and thus he found neither incentive nor reason to continue the fight. He had left the main commotion to go search for the prime purpose of him being there, Katherine.

He held his wand aloft as he searched in every nook and crevice. He desired to detect the glow of blond hair or the glitter of blue eyes but till now was unsuccessful. He was scared, so scared that he didn't even dare to look down upon the faceless people who lay down on the streets, whose blood littered the walls.

He hoped she had somehow left, escaped but...what if she had stayed to fight?

He had already looked everywhere he could while he had fought but hadn't found her. There was a fair possibility that she was still in the main square in the heat of battle, but he couldn't rule out the dread that she lay injured somewhere in the streets at the brink of death.

He heard someone moving behind him and turned around as he gripped him wand tightly. A beam of light shot his way but thanks to his Auror and Beater reflexes, he managed to dodge it. He mentally cursed himself for letting down his guard, he wasn't strolling at his own leisure he was in the middle of a battle field! He shot a well placed stunner at his opponent hoping that it hit it's target. He had no time to lose.

Much to his displeasure, it missed. The death eater who Sirius was guessing was a girl due to her lean figure with curves jumped aside and pointed her wand straight at him "Petrificus Totalus!"

Sirius expertly moved out of the way but he was surprised. He knew from practice that the death eater's favorite spells were the three fateful unforgivables and knew from experience that they scarcely used any other spell, why was she using a simple first year spell?

"Tallentalegra!" she cried.

Sirius moved out of the way but as he escaped the jelly legs charm, a beam of red light whizzed towards him and hit him on his chest.

His wand was wrenched away from his grasp and flew straight towards her. She jumped up and caught the slim, brown stick.

He felt strangely bare and exposed without his wand. His powers and his magic were of no use to him if he had nothing to channel it with, he was left vulnerable. Of course, there was one weapon left to him. She was a woman while he was a man, thus he was more physically strong then her.

He had established a rule many years ago to never hit a woman but the merciless death eater on whose mercy he had found himself didn't count.

He was still surprised that she hadn't tried to attack him. She seemed unsure, she was not raising her wand in a threatening manner rather was slowly backing away from him. Why was she trying to retreat?

Deeming it as a death eaters cruel, twisted scheme he launched towards her. His fingers wrapped themselves around her arms as he tackled her to the ground. His back stung as she kicked him, her legs flying around as she tried to defend herself. He pushed her to the floor grinning with satisfaction as he heard a sickening crash, she wasn't going anywhere soon.

He pried his and her own wand from her hands. He moved to take off her mask and was surprised when hearers broke free and took a firm hold of his hands, trying to push his hands away. He readjusted himself up to the point he was sitting on her and forced her hands away.

One of his hands took hold of her silver mask while the other grabbed hold of her hood. With a mighty pull, he took them off.

Blond curls fell into his hands when the hood was removed. The glowing golden color mixed with the red of her blood. He had touched those curls before, but he had done it passionately, longingly. He had storied those curls with love but now he untangled his hand away from them in disgust. Disgust in whom he had trusted, whom he had loved.

The sliver mask revealed blue eyes. The eyes which had twinkled with passion and love every time he had come close to hold her. The eyes which would seem dull if she were tired but filled with energy and happiness when she herself had been jolly. The eyes had shown many things, they had shown love, passion, sadness, happiness but never ever had they projected darkness even though now he knew her soul was filled with darkness. They say the eyes are the key to the soul, why had her's been so sincere?

It didn't make any sense, how could Katherine Victoria White be a death eater?

He was still in shock as he moved away from her, scrambling out of her way. His knees throbbed dully as he scraped them across the road and he sat there watching her like a curious child watching a dangerous, trapped animal.

She sat up slowly and cautiously. He could see tears running down her cheeks and could still feel a tinge of concern for her. Why did he still have feelings for that crude beast? He felt a surge of anger as he realized that she probably crying because she had failed in her mission, her master wouldn't be too proud.

She made no move to attack him. She bowed her head and just sat there, her legs tucked beneath her upper body. She looked like a child caught in a wrong doing and Sirius almost pitied her.

He saw as more blood leaked into her curls giving him the image of a surreal dessert. Head wounds bleed a lot and again, he didn't feel a savage pleasure rather he felt guilt for injuring her.

His face was stony but his will was set. He moved forward and harshly took hold of her hair and pulled her head up. She filched and immediately lowered her gaze.

"If you had enough nerve to do what you did then why not face me now?" he growled at her. He could feel her trembling but resisted the temptation of calming her. A small part of his seemed to realize the filth she was and made him wish to push her away.

She lifted her wrists though her face was still bowed. He understood and waved his wand. Sharp, thick ropes appeared and bound her hands together. Once again, he resisted the temptation to loosen them as they were already burning her and the skin around the ropes was already turning a shade of raw red.

He roughly pulled her to her feet not caring when she arched her back and let out a soft gasp if pain. He concentrated on Grimmauld place where he would find Remus. That was just him, whenever he found out something that was so terrible; he turned to Remus to straighten it out.

One fact was set, Katherine White was no longer a blessing which had entered his life, she was a dangerous bomb which had cunningly been planted into his life.


	18. Confrontation

Katherine sucked in her breath as a wave of pain shot from his back slowly traveling to her abdomen. Her stomach churned with bile and nausea rose in her throat. She wondered if the nausea had something to do with her head injury for she could vaguely remember that a head wound could do that but deep inside she was pretty sure it was the inevitable guilt and shame swirling in her chest.

Her head throbbed and her vision was blurred. Her wrists burned where she could feel ropes cutting into her skin. She could feel a firm hold on her arm and knew it was Sirius. The fact that her biggest, darkest secret had been found did nothing to stem the nausea, on the contraire it retaliated viciously and made her sway on her feet.

Even though her head continued to bleed she kept a firm grip on her consciousness. She could feel the edges of her senses blurring and blinked furiously wishing that her eyes would become focused again.

The hold on her arm tightened and she winced as a bolt of pain shot through her arm. A new voice made her jump "Sirius! What are you doing? You are hurting her!". She recognized Remus' voice and her guilt multiplied. They would all know what she was and they would all hate her for she was more dangerous than a werewolf or a vampire.

She was led on and she vaguely deciphered that she was inside the hallway of Grimmauld Place. Her tears were disappearing and her vision was thankfully clearing. The door to the kitchen was pushed open and she was roughly pushed in. She heard the door click as it was locked and fear reared inside her, she was alone!

A mild commotion from the corner caught her attention and she realized that Sirius was still there. She heard a desperate knock on the door soon followed by Remus' cries "what the hell Padfoot! Get out of there before you do something you will regret later"

She turned to Sirius but he didn't seem to even hear Remus. Either that or he had chosen to ignore his friend's orders. Sirius knelt against the table, his hands were pressed against the table top and his hair covered the most of his face. She could feel him tremble slightly whether from sadness or anger she couldn't tell.

She too moved away from him and pressed her back against the wall, marveling the temporary comfort as the cold wall soothed her flaming back. She watched him and was surprised that he had let himself stand there unguarded. But as she saw what she had done to him she had never hated herself more.

Her mother had said that she was a beautiful girl, a blessing who would make everyone's lives the happiest possible. She had to contradict her, she carried a curse with her and she destroyed everyone's lives.

"Why?" a soft whisper broke her out of her thoughts and her heart almost skipped a beat when she looked at Sirius. She hadn't even noticed and he had come to kneel beside her and now he was close, so close. She saw the suppressed anger which had caused his face to contract and his eyes to blaze. She hadn't really thought what would happen to her, would she be killed?

The question itself brought memories to the surface of a perfect family she had once had. Of her parents who had died trying to protect her, of her sister...she could once again remember her clearly and she felt her heart constrict. She had given up everything she had for her baby sister only to still lose her. Everything sadly included her light; she had surrendered herself to the darkness if it meant her little sister would be safe, still Sophia had died.

"Why!" he asked again and there was more force in his question. She involuntarily shivered for she knew his control was slipping. She asked herself a question; could she tell him everything?

For a moment she supported a dream in which he would understand and forgive her but she was brought back to reality. From the look on his face it was clear the he wanted to sever all ties with the dark side for he despised it. That was why she loved him; he was not weak unlike her. It was part of the reason she couldn't tell him, he was so brave while her true story would just prove her to be weak and pathetic.

"I asked you something!" he growled and took hold of her arms, shaking her. His hands remained gentle but she still filched. She didn't know what to tell him but she began to make a decision, it was better if he thought of her as weak and pathetic rather than dark and cruel.

"I didn't lie" she began in a trembling voice "didn't lie when I told you about my parents...they were murdered by Lord Voldemort..."

He wrenched his arms away from her and his anger disappeared. It was replaced by disgust and Katie immediately lowered her head. She couldn't watch him as he looked at her with such loathing.

"And still you chose to join that scum!" he cried.

Katie could feel a sob rise in her throat and tried to push the lump down but she couldn't stop the tears from racing down her cheeks. The memories of her naivety, of her sister's murder were so fresh and raw. She wished she could be left alone...to die but Sirius decided to continue and his betrayed voice slashed through her like sharp knives.

"I let you stay in my house, let you into my world, introduced you to all my friends, trusted you with myself, told you all my secrets, loved you...Damn it Katherine! I loved you and you were not some ordinary girl whom I found pretty and thus decided to date...you taught me the meaning of love itself and now...now I am so disgusted, disgusted at myself."

Katie clamped a hand over her mouth to stop the gut wrenching sob from escaping. She had destroyed him just as she had destroyed her own parents. She wished that she had never entered his life. She then reminded herself; rather weak and pathetic then cruel and dark.

"I had a sister...they got to her and they said..Said that if I don't join... "But she couldn't go on. She could once again see her sister's tortured face as a faceless death eater had jabbed his wand into her neck. She had been sixteen, almost seventeen and she had been so silly to believe that her sister would be spared. She had bargained her innocence and once done she realized it was too late, too late to turn back.

There was a shuffle of footsteps and Sirius ran out of the door and I knew we couldn't stay any longer, not unless he wanted his control to slip and hurt her. He was gone and she was left alone. She heard a dry sob as he left and felt his grief stab her across the chest, she felt like a monster! A new fear rose inside her but this one was different. It was the one she had had ever since she was a small child, loneliness.

The eerie silence scared her causing her heart to race. She brought her knees to her chest and clutched the fabric of her robes. She was barely aware that she was crying, she was barely aware of herself. Her worst fear was coming true but she had never felt this lonely.

She heard cries and it took her a moment to realize that they were her own. She lifted her head slightly and was greeted by the dark kitchen. She clenched her eyes shut and buried her face in her knees once more feeling like so naive captivated by her childish fears.

She didn't know how long she sat there trying to calm herself down but nothing worked. It was now becoming hard to breath and a new pain had appeared dulling the rest. This one was situated in her chest and she realized that emotional pain can hurt you more then physical pain because for the emotional wounds there is no pain killer.

She felt a warm hand on her arm and jumped back, gasping as pain shot through her back for she had hit it across the wall. For a moment she had been sure it was Sirius but found out that it was Remus.

She wondered what he would do. Since he had been captured while she had been introduced she didn't know him but had heard from Sirius that he was rational and gentle. Gentel...

"I know you saved me..." he said but his voice wasn't gentle, it was cold and emotionless.

She was surprised. It seemed ages ago that she had spied the keys from Lucius to smuggle the prisoner out, intending to put an end to Sirius' anxiety. Not sure what was expected of her so she just nodded.

"You do know what that means right?" he asked with the same emotionless voice.

She was confused. Did it mean that she was saved? No just that alone couldn't help her so she chose to shake her head.

He sighed as if it were causing him physical pain to say this "I am in a life debt to you. You freed me knowing I could kill your friends...because of the strength of the bond between us I must do the same"

She realized what he meant and just stared at him. Her actions had been unintentional but now she realized the full extent of it. Nevertheless she was pretty sure that Sirius wouldn't appreciate it if she broke out, "but..."

"I hate you for what you did to Sirius!" he said suddenly and for a moment his mask dropped and she could see anger there "you broke his trust, basically undid all of our handy work of the last ten years but of course what would a twisted death eater know about trust or love"

She did know what love was, what trust was.

Trust was what she had had with Sophia. She could tell her anything but never have to worry about her telling someone else. She could tell her sister her darkest secrets without the fear of her judging her and jumping to conclusions.

Love was what she had has with Sirius. It was a feeling with affection, a feeling which came with the inevitable fear that if he left she would be destroyed; she wouldn't be able to breathe.

She knew what love and trust meant even though she wished she could forget.

As she ran into the cold of the night with Remus' aid Sirius watched them.

He didn't stop her for he had wanted to do the same. He wouldn't have been able to watch her be questioned by Dumbledore as if she were a criminal; he wouldn't have been able to watch her be sent to Azkaban.

Remus had aided her?

That surprised him. Why would his friend help her when he barely knew her? Was it possible that they were friends? Friends? For one terrible moment he wondered if Remus was a spy too but he mentally scolded himself. Whatever it was he would get to the bottom of it but for now Remus couldn't be trusted.

He decided to not tell Remus about the so called switch if the secret keeper being fake, little did he know about the deathly trap he was setting up for himself.

_**Right so I am very much aware that I went all senti….sorry.  
Coming up next *wipes a tear* Halloween  
I can't believe my first fan fiction is coming to an end!  
just so you know there will be a sequel  
$$$*#*#*#*#*REVIEW!*#*#*#*#*$$$**_


	19. Halloween

_A field of golden leaves surrounded her and the sun shone brightly making her auburn hair glow. She laughed as she led the small boy through the field sharing the child's joy. James had hold of Harry's other hand and when he looked upon his six year old son he smiled proudly._

_Harry bounced between them tugging them along with him and causing them to run too as he tried to race through the field. He was held back by his parents as James told him to slow down. Harry tried to pout but was unsuccessful as a contented smile continued to tug at his lips._

_Lily and James laughed together and let his tiny hands go. Harry let out a little squeal and raced ahead. She felt James arm in circle her torso and she smiled at him._

Lily's eyes snapped open but the smile remained on her lips. It grew wider as she tried to decipher what the dream had meant, maybe it had been an omen indicating that all this would come to pass and in the end she would have her perfect life. She saw the dream as a message from destiny as it told her to hold on for not all was lost.

She felt James kiss her cheek and almost jumped a mile. "Happy Halloween dear" James whispered in her ear.

Yes! Today was Halloween, Harry's first Halloween. She knew it couldn't be anything too special for he wasn't allowed to go trick or treating but that didn't mean they couldn't enjoy all by themselves. She had been planning this for months and even now reminded herself to not even think about the war, they deserved this.

"You said you had Harry's costume planned and apparently it was a….surprise?" asked Lily though inside she was laughing. Knowing James she could easily guess what it was.

James nodded enthusiastically "we will show you as long as you have candy".

Lily smiled, she had without a doubt undone herself with the candy but since Harry wouldn't be getting any from the neighbor hood it all fell down to her to provide for the neighborhood.

James jumped out of bed and Lily smiled. Today was a good day indeed. She was glad that for at least one day they could forget about the war and that she would be able to see the arrogant, boyish James Potter again.

"Harry is on you today" she cried as James disappeared into the bathroom.

"WHAT!...erm….Lily can't you just you know bathe him and get something into his stomach…..I will do the rest I promise!"

Lily shook her head "Harry is on you" she insisted and grinned wickedly as James' tired sigh reached her.

Sirius stared at the fire feeling strangely mesmerized by the dancing flames. He wasn't thinking about anything at all, just watching. A bottle of fire whiskey dangled from his hand. He turned his head to the window and was surprised to see day light pouring out of it. It was…Halloween.

He could vaguely remember waking up yesterday after a nightmare. He could scarcely remember anything about the nightmare but one thing he was sure about was that Katie had been in it.

"I think you have had enough" Remus said as he entered the kitchen watching him with a critical eye. He came forth to sit beside Sirius.

Sirius bit back a retort. It wasn't enough, he could still remember and it would be enough when he wouldn't be able to remember. When he could without any effort lose himself within….oblivion.

"How could she have escaped?" he asked in a hoarse voice wondering what Remus would say.

"She is a death eater, she probably learnt some dark tricks from her _lord_" Remus shrugged.

Sirius felt anger bubble in his chest, here was his so called friend lying straight to his face. It gave him more incentive to not trust Remus but he couldn't say that straight to Remus' face, better know what the enemy is thinking. He just nodded trying to keep his emotions in check.

"Sirius you have spent enough time grieving…why didn't you tell James about her?"

That was a good question. He hadn't told James because he was ashamed. He had almost gotten his best friend killed by letting the girl into their lives. He simply shook his head too tired to form any words. He hadn't been around James much and he knew James was starting to get suspicious but he couldn't help it, he didn't want to be a burden.

"Let's go round James'" Remus suggested "and maybe you can tell him…about Katherine"

Sirius thought over the suggestion in his mind but then shook his head. He could almost hear Lily berating him and remembered that when he had first introduced her to the Potters Lily had been suspicious. Besides, today was Harry's first Halloween and he didn't want to ruin it.

"You are gonna have to move on Padfoot" Remus spoke softly, gently.

Move on? He could easily admit to himself that he had no idea how to move on. How could he forget her so easily? He loved her….why did he still love her? He wondered if he would ever get any closure.

Lily sighed contently as she observed her handy work. Different candy was scattered across the table, some of it homemade while the others bought from the muggle stores nearby. James had wanted Bertie bott's every flavor beans too but Lily had refused, she would have hated the crying session that was soon to come when Harry swallowed a vomit flavored one.

"twick or teet!" a timid voice spoke from behind and Lily grinned before turning around. She laughed outright as she realized what Harry was supposed to be….a quaffle!

Her son was wearing a big plastic ball around his belly from which his tiny legs and arms poked out. There was a red cap on his head which covered his mop of untidy hair and on his back the words "Potters ROCK" were printed. James stood behind him looking very triumphant over his handy work.

"I taught him how to say trick or treat!" James exclaimed.

"twick or teet Mama!" Harry repeated.

Lily laughed before scooping him up and holding him against her chest "what do you want little Harry?" she asked him gently as she rested her chin on his head.

Harry looked the many sweets in amazement "al me?"

Lily nodded "all yours"

Harry looked again this time trying to choose which one he wanted. After some time he pointed towards a twix bar. Lily smiled; he was surely James' son and thus had chosen the sweet which had the glitteriest wrapping. She picked it up and handed it to him before setting him down on his feet.

"Maybe he will be a seeker….he chose the one with the golden wrapping" James muttered excitedly.

"Or maybe he will hate Quidditch and like to keep his feet on the ground" Lily pointed out.

"Lily! Say something good will you?"

Lily rolled her eyes and went into the kitchen intending to start cleaning. If one made enough sweets to fill the whole neighbor hood, it was understandable that their kitchen looked like a marsh pit.

Lily had a cloth in her hand as she wiped some chocolate from the kitchen counter when a cry sounded from the next room. "James! What did you do?' she demanded immediately. If James and Harry were in the same room and Harry cried it was automatically James fault (always was).

"I might have…err….decided to share some Bertie bott's beans with him" James stuttered from the next room "I thought it was orange but it was…..earwax!"

Lily sighed before throwing the cloth to the ground and going to the living room. "I swear those two are going to be the death of me…"

Katie grasped the sides of the sink firmly and closed her eyes tight as the stench of vomit reached her nostrils. She fumbled for her wand and managed to retrieve it from her pant pocket. Hurriedly casting a cleansing charm she opened her eyes wondering what foul thing she had eaten to make her this sick. To be honest she couldn't remember anything much, the whole month had been a blur.

Katie didn't look very good to the eye. Mascara stained her cheeks and there were dark circles under her eyes. Her hair which had once been sleek and shiny was now rumbled and dirty for it hadn't been brushed for a long time. She was wearing a long red dress but even that was not ironed and had a lot of wrinkles in it.

She remembered going to the pub last night, she remembered the drinks and then….nothing.

Going to the pub had become a natural thing to her for it was the only place where she could forget, forget what she had done to others and how she had demolished their happy lives.

Suddenly a new idea for her morning sickness came to her mind and she almost fell over in shock. NO! She saw her wand clasped in her hand and remembered the spell that her mother had taught her. She tightened her grip on her wand.

_One moment and you will be proved wrong!_

"Ostendere Vitam In" she whispered watching as a white mist appeared from her wand and circled her like a surreal smoky snake. She held her breath as it slowly changed its color.

_Grey….purple….red….GREEN!_

This time she did fall over with shock. When she had turned sixteen her mother had taught her the spell and she had told her what the green mist indicated. This could only mean one thing; she was pregnant…..with Sirius Black's child.

"…and then you know what we did?" James asked Harry in a hushed voice.

Harry who was rather engrossed in the story shook his head. James reckoned he could barely understand anything he was saying at all but his son's eyes seemed t grow wider with each sentence.

"And then Uncle Moony came forward and ripped out his wand" said James continuing with his story. He made a slashing movement as if he were retrieving a wand "and shot a red light at the death eater"

At his words, a bolt of red light burst out of his wand and exploded like tiny fireworks in front of Harry's face. Harry laughed and clapped happily. James wasn't sure if Lily would approve of the exploding lights but he was aware that with the events of Remus' kidnapping had led to Harry being shunned to a corner for he was too young to understand. But now he wanted to give his son his undivided attention, at least for this day for Halloween was his. He glanced outside, nighttime had come.

This was one of the very few days in which he didn't even realize that so much time had passed and felt sad that the day had to end.

_We should so this more often…._

"dada?"

James blinked looking confused but then remembered. _Right! The story…._

"And then the battle began and there were flashes of light everywhere!" James exclaimed making a crew of multi colored lights flash through his wand. Harry squealed and tried to catch one but recoiled as it burst into his hand. Throwing a annoyed glance at the light he turned to his father.

"And we won" he finished simply yawing. He hadn't even realized how tired he was "and celebrated" he added taking in his son's disappointed face at the none too flashy ending.

Satisfied when multi colored bubbles that his father had conjured Harry clapped and tried to catch them again. He giggled as the bubbles burst covering him and his father with water.

"I see he won't be needing a bath before bedtime" Lily commented from the hallway.

James grinned sheepishly as he brushed water off his son's pajamas. Lily chuckled and shook her head "come on it is his bedtime" she said spreading out her arms to take Harry.

James nodded and handed his over to his wife. He wiggled his toes and realized that his left leg had gone numb. Sighing he got up and dropping his wand on the couch he stretched yawning along with hi tired son.

CRASH!


	20. Sacrifice

His tiredness disappeared and he extended his arm to keep Lily from moving. She looked at him with big, fearful eyes and he gently shook his head. He could hear soft, stealth footsteps advancing through the hall along with the erratic thumps of his heart. He pushed Lily to the corner of the room as far away from the hallway as he could get her. She moved back cradling Harry to her chest while the child watched their change of demeanor with a curious expression.

He moved to the hallway not even realizing that he had no wand upon him, that he was weaponless. He could see a dark, cloaked figure through the glass of the door that separated the living room from the kitchen. He sucked in his breath; he knew who it was even though he could not see the man's face. Lord Voldemort had found them.

He stumbled away from the door and looked at his petrified wife. The cry broke through him as he yelled "Lily it's him, take Harry and go, run!" he could see her crying but she still shook her head. She wasn't willing to let him go through this alone "run! I will hold him off".

He saw the hinges tremble as Lord Voldemort used his magic. There was a crackle of energy and the door fell down its glass scattering around the pure dark brown wooden floor.

There standing towering in the hallway his wand clasped casually in his hand he stood. His evil face covered by the hood of his ebony cloak which clung to his shoulders giving him the appearance of a man who knew a lot, who kept that knowledge hidden. He was a man of power.

He heard Lily stumble across the room and wished with everything he had that she and Harry escaped. He knew he couldn't hold the dark lord off and knew what awaited him but he chose that. He had promised himself earlier that if death came he would be the first to go and to him, it was death that sneered at him from the hallway.

CRASH!

The crash sounding like a canon ball echoed across the room. His heart jumped to his throat as he realized what had happened, Voldemort had locked the doors and barricaded them in. Lily or Harry would never be able to escape! He knew they had no choice but to fight and he dug in his pant pocket for his wand.

The realization hit him hard, he had no wand! He dove to the couch to try and retrieve it from where it lay innocently. Before he could reach it the couch overturned and his wand was buried under it. He placed his hands underneath it trying to get his wand but he realized the couch was too heavy for his trembling hands to lift.

Terror seized him and he realized how stupid he had been to leave his wand like that. He looked at Lily and she shook her head showing him her bare hands. She didn't have a wand either.

He moved closer to her, the silence in the room as Lord Voldemort watched them with an amused expression feeling like the calm before the storm.

"Avada Kedavra" the spell was whispered and could have easily been missed for the sound of leaves but James heard it. He realized where it was headed…Lily!

He dove in front of it not caring for his fate. The spell collided with his chest and agony unlike anything he had ever felt engulfed him world. He wished the pain would stop and it did, it was replaced by inky darkness.

Lily screamed. She didn't know whether she did that out of sheer fright or the pain which ripped through her chest as she saw James fall.

It seemed to happen in slow motion as his body tilted, his head jerked backwards as the spell hit him and he screamed. She screamed along with him and her tears ran faster as she felt Harry's tiny hands pull her hair. He fell to the ground and his scream died away but her anguished cry continued. A crack ran through his glasses and a crack ran through her heart.

She saw the monster laugh, a cold, triumphant laugh that sent chills down her spine. A new emotion appeared as she looked down into the eyes of her baby boy, she had to protect him.

She dropped Harry onto the crib which had been pushed into the corner and stood in front of it her hands gripping the bars of the crib. She saw Voldemort move forward and she tightened her hold, she wasn't going to move and if he wanted Harry, it would be over her dead body!

"Stand aside you silly girl" Voldemort whispered menacingly his wand pointing at her chest.

She looked and James and her determination grew. She had lost James, but she wouldn't let him take Harry. She believed that everyone had a bit of humanity in them, maybe even the most feared sorcerer of all time. It was silly, it was childish but it was her last hope.

'Not Harry, not Harry, please not Harry"

"Stand aside, you silly girl…stand aside now"

"Not Harry, please no, take me, kill me instead"

"This is my last warning!"

"Not Harry, Please! Have mercy, have mercy"

"Stand aside….stand aside girl"

As she saw him stand there she realized something. He had not killed her, he had killed a pureblood without bating an eyebrow but he had kept her alive till now. He had in a way listened but his humanity had been buried so deep within that it would take more than her pleas to bring it out. She lost hope.

"Avada Kedavra!"

As the spell hit, she realized why James had screamed and she screamed again. She felt as if her throat would be clawed out and she welcomed the sweet oblivion.

Lord Voldemort sneered. The child was unprotected and had been left to its own devices. He could kill this one so easily and then his reign would continue. As for the potters, they would be reminded as a lesson to those who dared challenge him. He tilted his head watching the crying child with amusement, here went the so called beacon of light.

He fingered his wand, oh! what a treat the destruction of this one would bring. Lifting his head high he spoke the curse "Avada Kedavra!"

The rebounding light had been so unexpected, so unexpected…

Unexpected though it was, neither James Potter nor Lily Potter ever breathed their last.

(A/N) _okay so before you guys bombard me saying they were not in the same room, I KNOW but it is AU and no, James and Lily are not dead so you can hold your horses. Hope you like it._

_Coming up next in the power of vanquisher: Remus and Sirius go to the Potter's house._


	21. Revenge

Sirius glared at the empty wine cabinet in disgust. He knew that there was no way that Remus was going to go and get him some and he himself felt too tired to clean up and go outside to purchase some more bottles of fire whiskey. So, he retired to just staring at the fireplace sparing Remus a heated glare now and then as his friend sat beside him engrossed in a book.

"What are you reading?" Sirius asked at last growing bored of just staring at the flames.

Remus looked up from his book looking startled upon hearing him speak. Sirius couldn't really blame him after all he could barely remember his own voice after having had remained quiet for about a month. Remus lifted the book from his lap to show him the cover. Hogwarts a History. He then turned back to his book.

"Moony you know that book inside out" whined Sirius remembering the many times in which Remus had lectured them about some fact of Hogwarts. Much to his displeasure, Remus chose to ignore him. Honestly! Sirius was starting to think his brain was messed up, when Sirius didn't want to talk ,he immediately became chatty and when Sirius wanted to talk he seemed to find other things very interesting.

_He is probably giving you a taste of your own medicine._

Sirius scowled looked around the room, trying to find something that would be of interest to him. His gaze stopped at his two way mirror which was propped against the wall. "Remus?...why is my mirror wearing a tiara?"

Remus looked up from his book and burst out laughing. _This can't be good!_ Thought Sirius for he knew well enough that Remus only found those situations funny in which he made a complete fool out of himself.

When Remus had composed himself enough to speak he explained "Last night you were talking into it though it seems you forgot to actually call James before you started saying that he was really lucky to have Lily and you weren't because you always got stuck with the bad ones and…you then began explaining what exactly you find hot in a girl."

Sirius blushed and ducked his head "you didn't listen did you?" he mumbled.

"No I fled as soon as the topic came up but I listened enough".

Sirius looked at the mirror and contemplated whether he should just tell James; it would be foolish to believe that he would be able to hide it forever. He moved to the table where his mirror sat.

_Better get this over with quickly…_

He hastily took of the tiara and dropped it into the dust bin. He took hold of the mirror and called "James?"

Sirius frowned…..no answer?

A soft panic flared in his chest but he sternly told himself to calm down for there was a chance that James has not heard him. He decided to try again..."James Potter?"

Sirius found it queer that he got no response. James always kept the mirror with him for now it held more purpose then it did in their school years, it would tell him if Sirius ever needed him. Though he hated to admit it, something had to be wrong. He remembered the newest feature they had added to their mirrors, they could now access the other's mirror even without the other's consent though James had made it quite clear it was only for emergencies (Sirius had tried testing on his honeymoon). Then again, if this didn't get sorted into an emergency he wondered what did.

"James Potter emergency activate!" he whispered furiously and held his breath as the mirror channeled into James'. He saw out of the corner of his eye as Remus moved closer. The mirror came to life but the surface was completely dark indicating that it was covered with something, maybe it was in James pocket. There was silence except the loud wails of a child. Something was indeed wrong.

He didn't wait for anything as he tore to the fireplace his heart thumping quickly out of fear. He had to get there! He could still save them! He didn't know how he was to help but he had to try. He had to do something.

Remus followed him but in his panic Sirius never realized that he was walking into a trap by taking Remus along. His friend didn't know about the switch, he would be held responsible for the attack on the Potters.

He dipped his hand into the small box of floo powder and paid no heed when the box toppled to the ground for he had withdrawn his hand too hastily. He dropped it into the flames and tried to school his quivering voice as he spoke "Godric's Hallow, Potter Cottage!"

As he was whisked away it occurred to him for the first time that it was possible for him to be too late. No! He could not allow himself to even think of that.

When he reached the desired fireplace he was unceremoniously dumped onto the dusty rug. He shot up and didn't even bother to brush off the soot which now stained his face and cloak. He cast his gaze around the room but he found nothing out of ordinary.

He heard movements behind him and immediately whipped out his wand as he whirled around. He sighed tiredly, only Remus. "Sorry" he mumbled bashfully and his friend nodded in understanding.

He cautiously turned the door knob of the kitchen and was about to push the door open but it seemed stuck, locked? He moved backwards and beckoned Remus to move out of the way. He swung his leg backwards before bringing it forth with all the strength he could muster. The door caved under the force and flew off its hinges.

He moved to the living room and stopped in shock. A hundred emotions conflicted within him and he was vaguely aware when Remus backed away from the horrible scene which had been painted in front of them.

James lay spread-eagled on the floor. One of his arms pressed against his left side while his right seemed to reach out for something he had never been able to reach. His face was pressed firmly against the floor and his mop of untidy hair was visible. There were cuts on his fingers from which blood oozed feebly. He was...dead.

Lily lay on her side, her face turned towards James' body. Her red hair was sprayed around her like a puddle of blood and her face was dull, expressionless. Her eyes were mercifully closed and Sirius felt glad, he would never have been able to gaze into those lifeless green eyes which even he himself couldn't deny were exquisitely beautiful. Her right hand too was extended in the darkness, trying to reach James'.

Harry's tiny form lay in his crib shivering whether out of cold or fear he couldn't tell but it assured him that at least Harry was alive yet it seemed meaningless to him. James his brother...Lily his sister...dead.

These past few months he had wished fervently that he shall never have to connect the words dead with the words Potter but it was too late for denial. He just stood on the doorway to scared to even move forwards, too scared to touch the bodies and feel the cold skin and then feel his world crash upon him.

At the same time he wanted to touch them, he wanted to be assured whether they were dead or not. A small hope took birth in his chest maybe…they were not dead. He moved forwards his steps unsteady but his gaze was set on James, was it an illusion that he saw his chest move slightly.

A firm grip on the back of his robes made him stop and he was surprised when he was wrenched back and pushed into the kitchen. He looked into Remus' eyes and was confused to see anger flash in his amber eyes and for a moment he could see more of the wolf in his eyes then human.

"How could you!" it was more of a statement then a question but it took Sirius a moment to decipher what it meant and when he understood hopelessness took over. Remus didn't know about the switch and according to him Sirius had been the traitor, he had been the murderer.

"No Remus you have to understand…it was Peter" he shook his head frantically hoping that somehow Remus would understand.

"DON'T YOU DARE THROW THIS ON PETER!" Remus roared forcefully pushing him to the wall he pointed his shaking hand towards the living room" THAT! THAT IS YOUR ENTIRE FAULT".

Sirius panted as another part of the bitter reality crashed upon him, it was his fault! It had been his idea to use him as a decoy and he understood now that Peter wouldn't have taken any action until he was sure that his back was safe, Sirius had given him the best cover story!

Anger at the man he had once called him friend wheeled inside him and he pushed Remus away. He was going to kill him! He was going to be sent to Azkaban anyway but he was going to end Peter's life before any of that happened. He could also have had presented Peter in the court but at the moment his own life meant nothing, he wanted revenge!

He could see Remus advancing at him again and looked at the kitchen window. "Reducto!" he cried and the glass fell off with a sickening crack. Remus understood his plan and launched himself at him. Sirius hurriedly sidestepped him and climbed out of the window hoping that one day Remus would understand. Telling Remus the truth at this moment would be futile because he knew his friend wouldn't believe a word said by him.

Glass cut into his legs as he jumped out but he barely realized as he climbed out of the house, wriggling his way through the narrow opening. He visualized Peter's dainty apartment at the dark corner of London and apparated away with the pale faces of James and Lily and the loathing of Remus along with the burning desire for revenge still heavy in his heart.

He stumbled slightly as he reached his destination and for a moment he was sure he had splinched himself. He patted himself on the legs and let out a breath, no he was okay. He looked around but found no apparent threats so taking hold of his wand he moved inside his nose wrinkling in distaste. The dark building now looked more like a rat's hole than ever.

For a moment he felt as if he were walking through the ancient movies in which the detective hero would cautiously walk through a dark hallway on his way to murder the villain but shook his head. _Not a very good time for this!_ He reached the door to his friend's studio apartment; Number 37.

He twisted his hand around the door knob and turned it slowly. One of the advantages of Peter's animagus form was that he could hear even the smallest clicks and creeks. He winced as the door clicked and grimaced as it swung open with a sickening creak. That was one of the biggest disadvantages of the rickety building.

The room was dark but Sirius didn't allow that to throw him off. He fumbled around the wall and sighed as his fingers grazed the light switch. Turning on the lights he blinked rapidly as he tried to grow accustomed to the light.

Empty! The room was empty. He cast his glance around the room, looking intently at the bed, the small kitchen, the closed bathroom door, the worn out dining table. He tried to find any clues for a struggle, a small part of his mind wondering if Peter was dead but everything stood there undistorted.

He had left, probably to stay in hiding like the blasted rat he was. Sirius pressed his lips into a firm line as he tried to remember who Peter would have turned to. He suddenly remembered the warm Muggle town in which he had spent one of his summer holidays, Peter's parent's house. He still remembered his friend's parents; they were so warm and welcoming. He shuddered as he thought of what their son had grown up to be. He moved out of the building and thought firmly of the main boulevard of Peter's childhood home.


	22. The Witness

Sirius looked around the achingly familiar road and his stomach twisted itself into knots. He realized that at this moment he would enter the Pettigrew's home bearing news that their son was a betrayer, a death eater, a murderer. He remembered David Pettigrew's open heart and Fiona Pettigrew's kind and loving nature. The Pettigrew's were not very rich but their nobility did wonders to their status. He still couldn't understand why Peter had searched for aid from the dark side even when he had such light hearted parents.

He shook his head as Peter's betrayal brought back the memories of his loss, of James. The sorrow which had been dimmed slightly by the shock of his friend's darkness was now renewed and for a moment Sirius felt his breath robbed away. It felt like Katie all over again. The urge for revenge flared again.

He began making his way towards street number six and watched the achingly familiar neighborhood with an alert eye. He couldn't let Peter slip through his fingers if he was here.

Seeing the small play ground at the end of the street brought back a bout of memories. Even now many boys played football in the park sloshing mud onto each other. He could vaguely remember Remus explaining the game to him but now his past life all felt like a dream. It felt like a dream that only one month ago he was with the girl he loved and the people he most cared for. It had almost felt like having a family.

_It's all gone now!_

Ringing the door bell to the Pettigrew's home had never felt so hard. How was he supposed to drop the bombshell on them that their beloved son was a death eater? He sucked in his breath, it had to be done and it was better if that happened right now because even they were in danger. If Peter could turn on James he could easily hurt his parents.

The door bell rang and Sirius held his breath waiting for the explosion. The lock clicked and the door swung open to reveal a flustered looking Fiona Pettigrew. As soon as she set her eyes on him she backed down fearfully and watched him as if he were a dangerous, trapped animal.

"Mrs. Pettigrew?" he asked her timidly thrown off by her odd behavior.

"Get away you filthy traitor!" she spat at him as she backed into the hallway "my Peter told me about you and how you betrayed poor J-James".

Sirius understood her behavior now but he didn't like what he deduced. Peter had gotten here before him and he had probably fed his parents some lies about Sirius' supposed betrayal. He noticed the way Mrs. Pettigrew seemed to stand in the hallway as if she were trying to shield the living room door from his sight. Hatred bubbled inside him.

"He is here!" he growled and made to get inside the house but stopped when Mrs. Pettigrew launched herself at him and firmly pressed her hands against his chest trying to push him out of the house.

"Don't you dare come into my house Black. I am going to call the authorities and tell them about the filth you are, they will probably ship you off to Azkaban for all I care!"

The name of the wizarding prison struck a chord of fear inside him because no matter how much he tried to forget it he had grown up in a wizarding family with his mother threatening to call the dementors if he became too naughty. He remembered when he had once gone to the place on Auror duty and shivered but consoled himself, if he found Peter he could evade imprisonment.

He had no time to explain his innocence to the woman blocking his path and knew that all his statements would be believed to be lies. He pushed her away placing extra care in being gentle and made his way to the living room. He could hear her running towards him, yelling at him to get out but before she could reach him he ducked into the living room and locked the door.

There sitting pale and sweaty on the dark leather couch was Peter Pettigrew his face twisted in fear of the man he had once called a friend.

Seeing Peter again, Sirius could barely control his emotions still a small part of his mind seemed to acknowledge the fact that innocent people were inside the house, he didn't want to hurt them.

"Let's take this outside shall we Peter, I don't want your parents getting hurt" he said in a low voice as he fought for control. His hands were clenched into fists and he wanted nothing more than to strike the man in front of him. Patience is a virtue he reminded himself.

He saw Peter waver and his disgust for the man grew. He cared more about this man's parents then he himself. He didn't hesitate and didn't contemplate that his actions could hurt him too. He lunged at Peter and pushed him towards the window. The glass shattered and pain flared through his arms and back. He knew he would find tiny pieces of glass digging into his skin but he didn't seem to care. Nothing mattered except getting Peter.

They were now on the street and had gathered quiet a crowd. The Muggles whispered amongst themselves as they looked at the two men.

_Damn the status of secrecy!_

His wand was in his hand, a spell at the tip f his tongue when an explosion ripped the street. Sirius stumbled and fell the ground as he heard screams and shrieks. Disoriented he looked around but his vision was obscured by the cloud of smoke which had rose across the street. He coughed as he tried to get his breath back.

The smoke was clearing and the first sight he met was of a grey rat scuttling into the sewer. Peter had escaped!

Pops echoed all around him and as he looked around bile rose in his throat. The blood and bodies of Muggles littered the street different body parts scattered around the grey road. The Aurors had arrived and Sirius' heart sank lower, Azkaban!

He tried to apparate thinking desperately of the old road in front of his house in London. Even the dark house seemed welcoming now. Instead of him turning on the spot the air around him seemed to grow solid keeping him captive.

_Anti-apparation wards!_

He looked at the Aurors and realized that most of them had been his mates during Auror training. A beam of red-light shot towards him and he didn't even try to escape it, he knew there was no escape.

When Sirius came to the first thing he noticed was the biting cold around him. He blearily opened his eyes and was met with white…_white?_

His first guess was a hospital. With the war going on hospitals weren't a strange sight. His latest memories drove that thought away and he realized where he must be; in the holding facility near the Auror office at the ministry. He Sirius Black who had locked many behind these bars was now stood on their wrong side. He was not a murderer.

His fumbling hands revealed that he was lying on a small couch. He raised his shaking hand to clasp his forehead as he got up, propping himself against the wall. He looked at the small window and his heart sank lower when he saw the Aurors guarding his door, Aurors he had once worked with.

He looked at the empty, white walls feeling strangely betrayed. Above all the visions the hatred inside Remus' eyes hurt the most. How had his friend stopped trusting him so suddenly? He then remembered James, James who had lost his life and his eyes began to sting again.

He half expected James to walk through the white doors, hold out his hand and help him to his feet and then help him walk away from this nightmare. He remembered Remus and wished he had trusted him. If he had shown more faith in Remus his friend would have fought tooth and nail until he had managed to find some proof to help Sirius.

He realized where he was going and for a moment it didn't matter. He didn't want to live in a world where everyone he loved hated him. He shivered again but not because of the cold but because of the hollow, cold gaping wound inside his chest.

The grief was overpowering and he wanted to storm at the walls, destroy something find some justice. His eyes stung and he had no strength to fight, he let the tears fall. For a moment he felt sixteen again when he had ran away from home and fled to James house. He had felt so lost then and he felt so lost now but when he was sixteen, he had someone to turn to.

There was a metallic click as the door opened and a young Auror stepped in carefully pointing his wand at him. "Don't move" he said in a warning tone" I have a wand and won't hesitate to use it if you do". Sirius just placidly looked at the young boy remembering when he had been a trainee...along with James.

The Auror looked at his damp cheeks with morbid surprise. He jabbed his wand upwards and Sirius vaguely remembered what the gesture meant. He did as he was asked and got to his feet wondering what his fait held.

"Incarcerous"

As ropes bound his hands tightly Sirius had to resist the urge to retaliate or to wriggle free. He looked at the Auror again wondering what was expected of him.

"Come on you have a hearing…..they didn't want to give you any trial at all but the witness insisted we do so"

The last part about the witness was spoken bitterly and Sirius wondered who it was. A witness? He couldn't remember anyone who had known about the switch except him, James and Lily…..

_Katherine!_

It occurred to him then that it must be Katie. She had also known about the switch but then again why would she want to help him. A filthy Death Eater help him, impossible!

He allowed himself to be led away without lashing out his mind still trying to understand who the witness was. The Aurors tailing him watched him suspiciously; they had expected some kind of resistance. He looked at the hallway and his heart sank lower as his pride broke…he was going to e given a full criminal trial.

The big wooden doors whose peeling boards were held together by metal rods were pushed open and Sirius was led to the chair. He looked at the wriggling chair and disgust rose in his throat. He had witnessed many be sentenced to Azkaban over here but had never expected that he would also meet his end here.

"Criminal trial held on the First of November by Bartemius Crouch, Cornelius fudge and Dolores Umbridge in witness of the whole Wizengamot. Presenting the criminal Sirius Orion Black, his charges are as follows; for the betrayal of the Potters and the murder of Peter Pettigrew. How do you plead?"

_The betrayal of the Potters and the murder of Peter Pettigrew_

The first part of the sentence was like a sharp knife digging into his flesh and the second made his heart race. He consistently denied the first one and would have gladly taken the blame for the second but on the whole the charges were false.

"Not guilty" he said confidently.

"Really?" sneered Barty before turning back to the thick parchment in front of him "presenting the witness in defense of the criminal, Katherine Victoria White".

_**Buhahaha cliffy, I always wanted to do that. The bliss of knowing something others don't.  
Coming up next in the POV: Sirius' trial, James and Lily's Peril, Harry's fate, Katherine's remorse.  
**_


	23. Echo

_This chapter goes to Lacky. I would like to wish you a very happ__y. HAPPY BIRTDAY MY PADFOOT, FROM YOUR PRONGS__._

Katherine had known fear, she had known shock quiet clearly but all those situations in which she had felt these emotions were out ruled by the time she saw the paper and saw the headline "Sirius Black Arrested" glaring at her from the front page of the morning daily prophet. She didn't need any time or thought to rush to the ministry. Now she stood in front of the doors of the courtrooms waiting to be called in.

She shivered as she heard Sirius' hoarse voice speak "not guilty" but also felt a rush of pride. So much had happened but still Sirius had held himself together. She traced the elaborate carvings on the door as she remembered the way Sirius had been with James, like brothers the two of them had been but now all of that had ended and Katherine felt the tears threaten to return.

"Presenting the witness in defense of the charge, Katherine Victoria White" she heard the voice and realized that this was her cue. Cursing herself for the sudden fit of shyness she unnecessarily brushed nonexistent dirt from her dress for once realizing how improper she looked with her hair tied into a hasty pony and her dress wrinkled and not ironed.

_Get yourself in there!_

She feebly shook her head and ran a hand through her hair. She pressed her palms against the doors and swung them open. She was greeted with the sight of many wizards who were dressed in dark blue robes and were staring at her suspiciously. She cursed her nervousness again and was about to duck her head in an attempt to shield her from the prying eyes when she saw him staring at her with surprise and confusion.

_No betrayal huh?_

He was chained to the worn out mahogany chair and she felt a sudden urge to protect him as she saw his hands tied tightly by the silver chains. She felt her heart break as she saw the naked hope dancing in his eyes; she wasn't sure how much help she had to offer. There was an empty chair next to him and she understood that she was supposed to sit there.

It hurt, it hurt to think that she would be sitting so close to him but wouldn't be able to touch him but she once again sternly told herself to hold herself together. It was the least she could so for him.

"State your relationship to the charge" commanded the booming voice of the man who sat on the highest chair.

Katherine swallowed before answering hoping that her answer wasn't squeaky "I used to be his girlfriend sir" she said and had to resist the urge to flinch. She had no idea what to say, it would be foolish to claim she was a friend and if she said she had no relation to him it could easily by questioned that how had she gotten her hands on such crucial information which was supposed to be for the ears of the Potter's closest friend.

"Used to be?" the man said pointedly as his assistant scribbled down her words "would you mind sharing why you used the past tense?"

"Yes" said Katie trying to make her voice sound commanding but not impolite.

"Very well" he sighed and then turned back to his parchment. He adjusted his glasses as he frowned softly and after a moment's wait looked up again. "Let's hear what you have to say then".

She took a deep breath and sternly told herself to get it right all the while praying that she didn't let anything wrong slip.

"Sirius Black was never the Potter's secret keeper, it was Peter Pettigrew…." She began but was interrupted by her questioner,

"He _used_ to be there secret keeper. Looks like you are behind the facts dear" he said and she could detect a faint laugh behind his words as if he were relieved.

"I know what I am talking about!" she cried desperately "they told the world that Sirius was the secret keeper to keep Peter safe!"

A soft murmur rose from the crowd as they began to converse among themselves. It was a serious claim and there was nothing unreasonable about it. A bang resounded throughout the court room and silence followed.

'He could easily have said that to not have to sever ties with you. You are a beautiful young girl Katherine….."

"Shut up!" shouted a voice from beside her and the man looked startled as he gazed at Sirius. She also was surprised and almost instinctively turned towards Sirius to find him staring right at her. The urge to hold him grew as she saw the fierce possessiveness flaring inside his eyes. When she turned back to the man who was questioning her she wondered if it was just her imagination that he watched her with a bit of contempt.

"We shall discuss this" he said with the tone of finality as he turned to his peers and they huddled together as they began discussing Sirius' fate.

She felt sick by the mere idea that the power to control what happened to Sirius now rested in the hands of these men. She kept her eyes fixed stubbornly on her shoes as she tried to resist the urge to look up, to look at him. She could feel the hairs on her neck prickle as she realized someone had their eyes on her. She didn't know how, but she knew it was him.

In a moment of foolishness and overwhelming desire she looked up and turned to him. He was watching her and he looked almost….grateful. She was surprised and her hands twitched as she was once again overcome with the desire to hold him. She satisfied herself by looking into his eyes, the pale stormy grey. He held her gaze and she didn't even realize when her hand moved. Snaking through her chair it came to rest against the side of his face. She shivered; his face was so cold in dramatic contrast to her sweaty hands. He closed his eyes when her hand came in contact with his face and with the sight of the grey mesmerizing eyes out of her sight she broke out of her stupor.

She withdrew her hand and blinked as another crash echoed throughout the courtroom. She looked up and saw the man looking at her with a fanatical grin, triumph shinning in his eyes.

_Why do I get the feeling I am not going to like this?_

'We have reached a decision" he said as he looked at Katie with the same maddened eyes "that due to her emotional attachment to the charge her word cannot be taken. Sirius Orion Black is sentenced to life time imprisonment in Azkaban. I deem this trial concluded"

For the first moment her heart denied the fact. For once words didn't make any sense to her but she liked it, she liked the small hope that she had clung to so desperately and she had been happy when she was oblivious.

Then she realized what she had done herself. She should never have told them about her relationship, she should have claimed to be a friend. Guilt wheeled inside her as she realized that Sirius was doomed and it was all her fault.

Her world crashed, her breath was stolen, her mind screamed, her eyes clouded over and she for once had no idea where she was. The small moment she had just shared with was now even more precious because she realized it was the last time she saw him, touched him. He would have severed all ties with her even if he was cleared but she would have taken comfort in fact that he was happy.

She barely realized when she was pulled away from her chair, away from him.

_There is a way to save him…._

The cold voice in her mind reminded her that she still had a way to save him. For the moment she forgot about the small life blossoming inside her and she decided to let her secret go. It no longer mattered that her actions would lead to her life time imprisonment in Azkaban. She lived in the moment and in this moment nothing mattered except saving the innocent man whom she loved from getting thrown into the prison. She saw the door open and realized she had little time left; the dementors would be there soon.

"I am a Death Eater! It's not him I swear!" she cried as she tried to wriggle out of her captor's grasp. There was a collective gasp throughout the court room as everyone turned towards her. The cries of triumph which had earlier filled the hall had disappeared and had been replaced by the stony silence. She saw out of the corner of her eye as the Aurors moved closer then….

"STOP! She has lost her mind! She is lying!" cried a desperate voice and the courtroom's attention diverted from her onto Sirius. She felt like crying, he had destroyed his last hope of freedom for her. Why was he so noble?

Everyone seemed to believe his word for this even though they had denied the truth of his statement when he had said that he was not responsible for the charges. How cruel the world could be. The Auror held her tight and a patronus galloped in front of her, shielding her. The dementors were coming…

The dark creatures entered and once again the room was silenced. She struggled against the Auror and screamed "NO! NO! SIRIUS!"

Sirius looked at her and she realized he was crying, it made her sorrow deepen. She felt like such a coward as the patronus continued to protect her, Sirius had no one. His face was so pale against the ebony black of the dementors but he continued to watch her. Fear…..there was no love or warmth in his eyes, just cold fear.

She didn't know why she did it but it seemed important. It seemed important to tell him this because only then would he realize that her feelings hadn't changed; she always did and always would love him.

She mouthed the words "I love you".

She hadn't expected him to hear and was surprised when he mouthed "love you too". The words though did nothing to numb the horrible grief which was clawing at her insides, rather than that it made her feel even more depressed and lost because she felt as if she were losing him all over again. It hurt more when she realized he had never been hers….never would be.

He was being taken away and she couldn't reach him. The force around her torso held her in place and it would never set her free, when she was free Sirius would be long gone. Now even if she did run she would never be able to reach him in time. She was losing him and there was nothing she could do about it. She did the only thing she could, she screamed. She didn't say a word, she didn't speak…..she allowed her grief to overtake her and screamed.

Remus felt as I he could scream forever but it would never be enough, never enough to release the grief which had settled deep inside him. He couldn't even cry and for a moment he was sure he was in denial. He stared at the white tiles which had at first looked innocent, now even they mocked him with their pure color.

_Coma…._

It was a simple word, something he had read in the symptoms of disease but at the moment that word had claimed his life, his happiness….his best friends. The lively faces of James and Lily were etched under his eyes and he could do nothing to erase them. Lily's laughing face tormented him. James childish grin plagued him and Harry's innocent face as he asked for a bed time story surfaced at the surface of his mind.

"Weed Mooey!"

For a moment he was sure he had heard the tiny child and his head snapped up or once looked up from his eyes. He shook his head….no one was there. With a pang he realized that no one would ever call him Moony again. He had lost everyone he cared for and he questioned himself again and again; why should I live?

The answer was null, he had nothing to lie for. He was alone and friendless and for a moment he felt like the naive boy who had rode on the Hogwarts express wishing that no one found out his secret in the new school. He had thought that he would have no friends; he had been scared of even approaching someone in case they found out about his secret. But he had had friends and they had found out his secret….they hadn't cared.

About an hour ago he had everything he had ever dreamed about but now he sat in a hospital, bare and forced to face the world.

He got up; there was no sense of staying. He got up and moved out of the doors o the hospital leaving behind his whole previous life. Leaving the comatose forms of James and Lily, burying the happy moments with Sirius as he made his way towards his new life but it hurt, it hurt to have to leave behind all he had to live for.

Hello, hello  
Anybody out there? Cause I don't hear a sound  
Alone, alone  
I don't really know where the world is but I miss it now

I'm out on the edge and I'm screaming my name  
Like a fool at the top of my lungs  
Sometimes when I close my eyes I pretend I'm alright  
But it's never enough

Cause my echo, echo  
Is the only voice coming back  
Shadow, shadow  
Is the only friend that I have

Listen, listen  
I would take a whisper if that's all you had to give  
But it isn't, is it?  
You could come and save me and try to chase the crazy right out of my head

I'm out on the edge and I'm screaming my name  
Like a fool at the top of my lungs  
Sometimes when I close my eyes I pretend I'm alright  
But it's never enough

Cause my echo, echo  
Is the only voice coming back  
Shadow, shadow  
Is the only friend that I have

I don't wanna be an island  
I just wanna feel alive and  
Get to see your face again

I don't wanna be island  
I just wanna feel alive and  
Get to see your face again

But 'til then  
Just my echo, my shadow  
You're my only friend and I'm

I'm out on the edge and I'm screaming my name  
Like a fool at the top of my lungs  
Sometimes when I close my eyes I pretend I'm alright  
But it's never enough

Cause my echo, echo  
Oh my shadow, shadow

Hello, hello  
Anybody out there?

**those of you who read the note of the end, it has changed because i changed my mind. i know it sounds really bad but i am continuing this because i decided it should have a happy ending. besides i for got to answer the question; what is the power o the vanquisher**


	24. Three Years Later

**THREE YEARS LATER**

Katherine stood at the door of her small apartment over the three broomsticks. There was hustle and bustle underneath but she felt strangely separated from it all. Her dress swayed slightly as the May wind entered the building through the windows. Her dress it seemed had seen better days but now it was frayed and worn out. The furniture in the room behind her was also second hand and one could easily tell that it had been polished to look acceptable. Different toys and clothes were strewn on the floor of the apartment and one could easily deduce that a child also lived here.

She turned around to look at the mess in her apartment and sighed tiredly as she moved inside, collecting the clothes from the floor and dropping them in a bucket she made a mental note to do the laundry tomorrow, today she was too tired.

Her days had picked up a monotonous routine. She would wake up every day and rush to get dressed; after all there were always many drinks to be made and bottles to be cleaned. Madam Rosemerta had been kind enough to offer her a job and for that she was eternally grateful even though she had never imagined herself to be stirring and serving drinks. Another reason for her tiredness was her daughter; Olivia Kelly White. The child was a total sweet heart Katie couldn't deny that she had a knack for trouble. Still Katherine wasn't complaining, Olivia was all she had.

"Mommy!"

A cry rose from downstairs and Katherine couldn't help but smile; speak of the devil and the devil is here! She cautiously pushed the basket under the bed, the last thing she wanted was Olivia to rush in, knock over the basket and ruin her handy work.

A breathless three year old rushed in. she smiled at her mother as she leaned against the door frame trying to catch her breath. Her blue eyes wandered across the room as if she were wondering why the room was so clean. She looked at her mother with an expression of innocent curiosity and inquired, "Are you cleanin?"

Katherine placed a doll on the bed and unnecessarily brushed the bed sheet as she pointed out, "someone has to".

Olivia just smiled in response and rushed inside. Her wavy hair which touched her ears bounced softy as she jumped onto the bed. Katie winced as a dent formed on the bed ruining the soft flow of the bed sheet. Shaking her head Katie kept working. She grabbed a cloth from the dustbin when….

"Livvy! Did you call your mother?" cried Madam Rosemerta.

Olivia cut her tongue as she jumped down the bed. Katherine allowed Olivia to pull her downstairs. This was the routine of her tiring life. Everyday whirled by with the same haze of hurry and confusion. She felt that Olivia was the only reason she managed to climb out of bed every day, her little gem of light guiding her through the dark and twisted path her life had become. Every day was the same and every night was the same too, every night was filled with the images of his laughing face.

OOOOOIIIIIIIIIIOOOOOIIIIIIII IIOOOOOIIIIIIIIIIOOOOOIIIIII IIIIOOOOOIIIIIIIIIIOOOOOIIII IIIIIIOOOO

Remus frowned as he gazed at the register; the bookstore was on its steady way to profit. The bell tinkled as a band of teenage girls entered the shop gazing at the book shelves with curiosity. One of them immediately walked towards the science section while the others strolled around for a bit before finally deciding on the fantasy corner. Remus just hoped they didn't do anything to the books because the last thing he wanted was a date with his boss.

He heard heels clicking from behind him and turned around. Fiona was walking towards him a small white duster in her hand. She smiled when she saw him and dropped the cloth into the dustbin before coming to sit by him with a tired sigh.

"Done with the dusting?" he asked her as he closed the register with a snap and turned his chair so that he was facing her.

She nodded her answer. There was a moment's pause in which she drummed her fingers on the table. Remus, deciding that she was in her -no talking- mode turned back and decided to just gaze endlessly at the glass doors of the shop.

"Are you married?" she asked him suddenly out of the blue.

Remus blinked wondering where that had come from. He shook his head as he watched her with a confused eye.

She nodded looking thoughtful. Finally after an uncomfortable pause she asked "how come you never hit on me?"

This question also got him by surprise. He had almost forgotten how many times his college had complained about too many boys pestering her. Fiona DeCruise was indeed a lovely girl with her sleek blond hair and her innocent grey eyes. A red dress was stretched over her body showing off all her curves though not showing any of her flesh. Now that Remus thought about it she was rather pretty but she was also the boss' niece and the job was too important.

"I like my job" he told her deciding it was the best answer. Suddenly a new thought occurred to him, did she want him to ask her out? "Why?" he added suspiciously.

She gave him a lopsided grin and just shrugged.

Her being the boss niece was not the actual answer. The truth was that he wasn't ready. It had been almost three years since the fateful Halloween night but he still spent every moment wondering when they were going to wake, when James would crack and eye open and his world would come back to life. It had been so long but he still couldn't get himself to move on.

OOOOOIIIIIIIIIIOOOOOIIIIIIII IIOOOOOIIIIIIIIIIOOOOOIIIIII IIIIOOOOOIIIIIIIIIIOOOOOIIII IIIIIIOOOO

it was dark, a cold biting dark but Sirius had given up. He could fight, he could scream but he would never be able to fight through the dark abyss which surrounded him.

It was cold but it had stopped bothering him, it was always cold. When he had been new here he would always shiver, he would always bury his face in his knees hoping that he would somehow escape the cold but he had grown accustomed to it. The cold was no longer around him, it had burrowed deeper into him. It was the gaping cold hole inside his chest.

He would try to remember who has left leaving behind the gaping hole in his chest. He would hear his own panicked voice and some others...

"...For the betrayal of the Potters"

"THIS IS YOUR ENTIRE FAULT!"

"It's not him! I am a Death Eater!

"James?...JAMES?"

He would remember a spread eagled form lying on the floor in a dark cottage, a shock of red hair spilled on the floor outlining the face of a woman, a small child lying shaking in a crib. He would remember the Potters but that would be all he would remember...the death.

When he was younger he had always associated silence with Azkaban but he now realized how wrong he was. It was never quiet here, one could always hear the screams of other prisoners as they attempted to fight against the horrors that only they could see or hear. When the prisoners were quiet, he could hear voices which he was sure were echoing in his own head. People would accuse him of crimes he knew he didn't commit and then the voices would jumble up and he would place his hands on his ears trying to block them out. He would scream sometimes, wishing that he would also lose his mind and not have to go through this hell.

He could try as hard as he wanted but he couldn't forget. The screams and accusing voices would haunt him forever but...he would always wish for a escape.

OOOOOIIIIIIIIIIOOOOOIIIIIIII IIOOOOOIIIIIIIIIIOOOOOIIIIII IIIIOOOOOIIIIIIIIIIOOOOOIIII IIIIIIOOOO

Harry's arms ached dully but he continued working reminding himself that if he didn't finish his work in time he wouldn't get any lunch. His neck burned in the afternoon sun and his thin, worn out shirt provided no safety across the brutal heat. Still, he kept his little hands moving the threat of no lunch willing him to not.

Weeding the garden was something he both hated and loved. How could he hate and love something at the same time? This was a question his naive mind couldn't answer.

He hated it because it the summers it was scorching hot while in the winter it was bitingly cold. He would have to spend all the time kneeling down and by the end of it his neck would throb at even the faintest motion. At the same time if he had to work in the garden he could stay away from the house, away from cruel Uncle Vernon and mean Dudley.

He looked over the garden again hoping that he was doing this right this time. He shivered as he remembered the last time he had done this...there had been no food for whole two days. Even now his stomach protested but Harry was used to this, he was yet to see a day when he had eaten his full. He would often gaze longingly as Dudley swallowed everything on his plate and he would then turn his gaze to the small amount of food on his plate.

There was a creak from the back door and with a sickening feeling in his chest he realized that his time was up...he had barely reached the half!

"You worthless little freak!" Aunt Petunia screeched as she saw that half of the garden remained undone "wonder what you have been doing all this time! You know what this means?"

Harry didn't need to answer even though he knew the answer well enough. This meant at least two nights in his dark, ratty cupboard with a painful and growling stomach. He felt his eyes burn, his punishment had only been lifted today and he had had only breakfast. If burnt toast and sour milk counted as breakfast.

His aunt hadn't expected him to answer. Deciding that he didn't need Uncle Vernon's brute force to push him into the cupboard he nodded miserably and began to walk towards the house. His aunt didn't say a word and simply went inside, ready to serve her precious Dudley and full and (in her mind) a healthy meal.

Inside the dark and hot cupboard Harry curled up, pressing his knees firmly against his chest. Many would think that Harry would completely loathe the small cupboard but that wasn't true. The cupboard meant safety and over the years it had become his sanctuary because no one could reach him in there.

But he couldn't stop the hot tears from falling. He wiped his cheek furiously as he told himself sternly that he shouldn't cry for his relatives, they didn't deserve his tears. STOP CRYING he mentally screamed in his head as he clenched his jaw but he couldn't stop his lower lip from trembling. He could remember the vague feeling of warm arms around him, a feeling of security and decided that it must be a memory from when he had been with his parents, when they hadn't been sick. For the millionth time, he wished his parents would take him away. Why did they not get well? Why did they not come?

OOOOOIIIIIIIIIIOOOOOIIIIIIII IIOOOOOIIIIIIIIIIOOOOOIIIIII IIIIOOOOOIIIIIIIIIIOOOOOIIII IIIIIIOOOO

Healer Green was considered by her colleges as the most successful trainee. She had begun training about three years ago and was finished now but she was still under the wing of her trainer, Healer Weller. She simply adored her teacher but on the long run she wanted to be independent. At the moment she was perfectly content but there was a small sadness every day. Sadly she had to begin her everyday with this case.

The Potters were her oldest and on the long run her oldest case. It had been her first day in the hospital when they were brought in, barely breathing. She still remembered James Potter's shallow breathing; slightly more troubled then Lily Potter's. They had tried as hard as they could, fighting tooth and nail but in the end the inevitable had happened and the young man had slipped into a coma. Lily had followed.

Though it was against the rules she had grown quiet attached to the young couple. She refused to let anyone brush Lily's hair or scrub James' hair. Every day she would walk in the room and test everything making sure that everything was going okay.

It was an embarrassing fact but she had a small crush on James. Even in his comatose form he was quiet handsome and she slowly began picturing him, creating him like the best, dream guy. She wondered what his laugh was like, what his voice sounded like and then reality would come crashing down, he was probably never going to even wake and even if he did he had a wife and a son but she couldn't resent Lily, how far could she go on a crush with a guy who wasn't even awake.

When she exited the room that day she didn't look back but if she would have she would have seen Lily's hand twitch

**(A/N) Papers r comin up so might not be able to upload for a while. Sorry in advance but please stay glued n ofcourse REVIEW.**


	25. The Reawakening

To be trapped in your own mind was a lot more gruesome then anyone could comprehend and all these years Lily had just wished for someone to come and chase the –crazy- out of her head. Darkness was the enemy. It was holding her in place and not allowing her to run away to the people who she loved. The dark kept its strong yet sinister clutches wrapped tightly around her and she couldn't defeat it for it had too much strength. For a moment she decided to just give up and let the darkness swallow and destroy her but she then remembered her loved ones and her determination to fight returned.

There was a din of voices somewhere in the distance and she knew they came from the other side, the side where James, Harry, Sirius and all the others were. She fought harder wondering if she had managed to crack the inky blackness, demolishing its superiority. She knew she was unconscious and found it ironic and interesting that this was how one fights their way back to consciousness.

Her desire to reach the other side was fueled on nothing except her curiosity to know what had happened. For a moment she wondered if she was dead, she was supposed to be dead but she then became aware of the throbbing inside her whole body, there was no pain in death...was there? How was she to know, she had never died before.

Her frantic gaze ran across the betraying darkness and then she found it, a soft sheen of light glittering in the darkness like a lamp put there to guide the lone, lost travelers. Mesmerized by the light, thinking it was her gateway she glided towards it and as she neared it the crack opened wider. The threads of black stretched to form ill defined shapes which moved around.

"She is awake! I thought I would never see the day!" cried an excited voice.

Lily winced as pain stabbed her head, the girl was too loud! Her vision was slowly clearing and she could make out the face of a girl who was kneeling over her. The girl's young face was alight with happiness and...Relief?

Lily tired to form words but her tongue felt like jelly and refused to move the way she wanted it to. That was rather hard luck because Lily had about a million questions rattling inside her head. She instead turned her head to a side hoping that her surroundings would answer some of her questions. She seemed to be in a hospital but...

All thoughts were chased out of her mind as she saw the man lying in the bed beside her. His condition made her heart race. James back arched painfully before slumping on the bed. He restlessly tilted his head backwards as his chest tensed. He rolled onto his side and his legs kicked as he tried to draw breath.

James condition worried her to the scale she found hard to even describe. She had already pushed her hands against the bed as she tried to haul herself up from the bed. Reaching and soothing him was the most important thing at the moment. She let out a strangled cry as pain shot through her abdomen traveling to her chest. She felt gentle hands push her back to the bed but she struggled against the hands as she looked at James with anguished eyes.

A new pain hit her this time like fire through her body and she doubled over but her eyes never left James as he twisted on his bed. He brought his knees to his chest and then suddenly without warning he threw his legs back, banging them against the end of the bed. His hazel eyes snapped open.

A small smile grew on Lily's face and she tried to call his name. "J-James?" she asked him in a hoarse whisper her heart beating erratically. Was he alright?

His eyes which had earlier been whizzing around the room turned to her and she saw realization flash through his eyes. Lily now became aware of the old man standing beside James who was watching them two with a curious expression. Lily turned to the young girl standing beside her and smiled at her. The girl hastily returned it.

"Where 'm I?" she slurred in a sleepy voice for once realizing how tired she felt. Her body was still aching dully but her desire to know kept her awake.

"Your in 's" the young healer answered her soothingly "I am Healer Rachel Green. We have caller your friend Remus Lupin and he will be arriving soon. I think he will be happy to answer all your questions".

Lily just continued to watch James and he returned her gaze. Maybe it was just her imagination but...did he look older? She tried to remember what her last memory was but all she could remember was darkness. Remus was coming, he would answer her questions but why couldn't she remember it herself. Why was she here? Suddenly a small part of her memory came back, she had to protect someone...who? It was a child...Yes! It was a child but what child. She had no child...

OOOOOOOOOO

Even skipping didn't seem too childish to Rachel at the moment. JAMES AND LILY WERE AWAKE!

She was more than thankful that she could finally give Remus Lupin some good news. All these years when he came to visit her answer had been the same' no change. Remus hadn't even asked the last time, he had lost hope but there was no need for hope anymore, they were back! The euphoria still bubbling in her chest she picked up a piece of parchment and started jotting down the letter.

OOOOOOOOOO

Remus sleepily rubbed his eyes as he stubbornly gazed at the main wooden counter. He was fighting to stay awake. Last night he hadn't slept well. Why his night's sleep had been restless? That was yet to be found out. James and Lily had wove in and out of his dreams but the most disturbing image had been of Sirius who was on his knees as he begged Remus to believe him.

Remus shivered at the memory but pushed it to the edge of his mind; he didn't want to even think about it. For a moment he wondered if James and Lily were going to wake up and his wolf part somehow knew this but he contradicted himself. It was just a feeling.

Fiona was on vacation so all the work load fell upon Remus but then again there wasn't much working in the bookshop anyway so Remus wasn't complaining. He was supposed to be dusting the many book shelves but he was too tired today. He had no idea why this was so. He had endured sleepless night before and was quiet well trained on going through the day with only a few hours rest.

Remus was trying to persuade himself to get up and begin his work when a tapping noise broke him out of his musings. He looked curiously at the grey, official looking owl which was gliding outside his window. Reluctantly getting up he made his way to the widow wondering who was bothering him now.

"THEY ARE AWAKE. COME TO ST. MONGO'S NOW!"

There was no name of the sender nor did he or she choose to elaborate her short yet enthusiastic message but Remus needed no elaboration. His life was coming back to him! The reawakening was here!

**This Chapter sucks? I know but I have papers and it isn't easy to write if your mind has been drilled with Physics. The urge to just upload something was too overwhelming so HERE! Just one week and then you I am FREEEEEEEE! Review please *puppy dog eyes* just tell me I suck if u gotta (I just realized I can't with ya there).  
Love Ya  
~Levy~**


	26. The Lost Memories

Remus had left everything he had been doing. He had barely kept his mind long enough to turn the closed sign on the shop door and lock it. His heart was thumping and he almost felt dizzy. But everything seemed to have come into a sharper focus and he couldn't believe that only a few hours ago he had been worrying about not getting enough sleep. Nothing mattered more than the fact that James and Lily were finally awake. A small part of him which still remained rational worried what James reaction would be to Sirius' betrayal. James had loved Sirius like a brother and trusted him with his everything; his son, his wife, and even his life. James would be heartbroken.

As he made his through the white washed corridor of St. Mongo's he couldn't help but stop outside their door. He couldn't go in, he didn't dare. There had been three years of silence and distance and now he had no idea what to say to them. He had gotten so used to just hopelessly watching their unchanging faces and now they were awake. It felt like a miracle, like a dream come true.

He heard a voice from the other side of the room and his heart almost stopped as he recognized the voice. Oh! For so long he had craved to hear that voice again.

"When is Remus coming?" James asked.

They were waiting for him! That fact must have been obvious but still Remus felt a little better. They were waiting for him but all these years he had been the one waiting. He almost laughed at himself when he thought of making them wait a little longer, why he should do all the waiting? Yet putting an end to the long, lengthy wait was too tempting. Pushing on the best smile he could muster he opened the door.

James jumped off the bed to greet him and Remus involuntarily moved back. He felt so over whelmed. James and Lily were back! He just wanted to stare at James, at his alive hazel eyes. He still couldn't believe they were awake. James was watching him with a confused expression on his face and Lily also moved closer. He looked at her too, drinking her face with the suppressed longing and anguish he had kept hidden all along.

The scenario got the better of him and he launched himself at James, hugging his friend close. He felt James pat him on the shoulder but he couldn't felt oddly numb, nothing other than the euphoria of the fact that his friends were back. He could finally live again.

OOOOO

Petunia was chopping potatoes as she hummed happily a tune which she had been sure she had forgotten a long time ago. She was in her element, after all what could she do better than housekeeping. As she cast the potatoes aside she became aware o the tune she was humming and stopped immediately, here was another remainder of her good for nothing sister. Lily had composed that tune.

She ran her hand through her hair in frustration as she flipped the eggs. She heard timid footsteps behind her and turned around to find a pair of tired green eyes watching her. Here was another remainder of her good for nothing sister.

"What do you want?" she barked at the four years old "I think I told you to stay out of my way!"

The boy flinched at the loud voice and slowly extended his hand which had an envelope in it. "You had a letter Aunt Petunia" he mumbled in a low voice as he kept his gaze on the ground.

Petunia snatched the letter from him and set it on the kitchen counter. "Well if that is all then get out and don't let me see your worthless face again!"

Harry nodded into the ground before scurrying away. He only needed the order to stay away and he would be miles away from the house within seconds. His aunt forgot the letter which she had left on the counter and continued her work. A Draft of wind entered the house from the opened window and caused the letter to fall onto the ground off the kitchen counter. It lay there forgotten.

OOOOO

Lily was sitting on the hospital bed between James and Remus. It was a little relief that she wasn't the only one who had no idea how to proceed forward or what to say. So, the trio sat there in complete silence all of them periodically glancing at each other nervously.

Questions rattled inside her head nagging her to speak. The nurses said she had a child but how could that be? It was impossible that she had forgotten her own child so she settled with the idea that they were wrong. But she couldn't forgo the feeling she had had as soon as she woke up, the feeling to protect someone. Was it true then?

As she thought of that more questions reached her. How long had she been unconscious? By the way James and Remus appeared to have changed it had been quite a while. If she did have a child then was it a boy or a girl? What did it look like? Where was it? She got a nagging feeling that it had to be with Sirius. She silenced this with the thought that who else would James have chosen as their child's godfather.

She gathered all her bravado and took a deep breath before starting; "Remus?" both James' and Remus' heads snapped towards her "the nurses here…they say I have a child. That is wrong right?"

She saw James and Remus both pale immediately and she realized that the nurses had been true. She did have a child! The thought hit her hard but she stopped pitying herself immediately. The poor dear! He or she must have waited for his or her mother to wake up for years only to realize that the mother didn't even remember.

"You forgot Harry" Remus whispered lowly more to himself then to her but Lily heard him nonetheless.

_Harry? What the hell!_

She immediately started wondering where her son was, even better where Sirius was. Was the other man with her son…Harry was it? Had they expected her to forget? But the expression on Remus' face told her otherwise. "Where is he?" she asked Remus as she gazed expectantly around the room expecting a small boy to suddenly appear from behind the curtains.

Her son's location didn't seem to be the right question to ask because now Remus was gazing stubbornly at the ground. What was he guilty about? "I am sorry Lily but….with me being a werewolf he had to go to the Dursleys."

Lily gasped as the memories of her sister who was not at all friendly with magic rushed back. Petunia would have hated her as much as she hated Lily? She mentally shook her head; Petunia would never mistreat her own flesh and blood…._right?_ Maybe Lily was just saying this to reassure herself but at the moment she needed some reassurance. Yes, her sister had a good heart.

"Why did he not go to Sirius?" she inquired. Why did he even have to go to her sister? A new terror seized her; had something happened to him?

"Lily…he was your secret keeper and…well you have to understand…."

"Who the hell is Sirius?"

They both whipped around to see James confused face. She couldn't help but gasp, never in all her life had she expected him to forget him best friend.

OOOOO

Katherine was dusting- _again._ Sometimes being the only grown up in the place could really suck. She loved Olivia's routine'; wake up, eat, play, eat, play, eat and then go to sleep. Her daughter didn't have to worry about stupid bills or an unorganized house, no that went to Katheirne. She coughed as she accidently inhaled a puff of dust. With her eyes watering she went to the kitchen for a well deserved drink. She frowned and set down her glass as the sound of an owl's beak beating across her window reached her.

_Not another darned bill!_

She let the owl in and rid it of its burden. She was about to place it with the other bills when she read the address. Was this the letter she had been waiting to arrive for so long? Like an eager child she ripped the envelope and studied the letter inside.

_Dear Miss Katherine White_

_You requested to be informed should James or Lily Potter awaken. We are proud to offer you good news; your wait is over and your friends are finally back._

_Regards, Rachel Green_

She dropped the letter as she collapsed onto the couch. A smile slowly formed on her lips and she felt an emotion she had been sure she would never feel again; she felt hope surge through her heart like a powerful vapor. Sirius could finally be set free and that was all she had wished or all these years. It didn't matter that she wouldn't even have him as long as he wasn't alone and friendless in the dark prison.

OOOOO

Remus was very close to ripping his hair and had to sternly tell himself every moment to calm down, he was supposed to be the sensible one. James forgetting Sirius was a good thing, he didn't know how his friend would react to his best friend's betrayal. Lily forgetting Harry on the other hand was downright evil. That was so unfair to Harry!

"Remus what happened to Sirius?" Lily asked again and this time James didn't interrupt. He had his eyes closed as if he were trying to remember something.

"Lily he was your secret keeper…don't you understand? He betrayed you….sold you off to Voldemort"

Lily gasped and her hand flew to her lips. Remus had expected her reaction to be like that, she had trusted Sirius as much as James and even she had come to know him as a brother. Sirius had been the fun brother who would miraculously appear at your doorstep every day, especially when he was needed.

"Remus" Lily whimpered as tears sprang in her eyes "Sirius wasn't the secret keeper….please tell me you guys didn't send him to Azkaban…..Remus?"

Remus felt as if he had been hit by a hurricane. Sirius hadn't been the secret keeper! He felt as if his world had been turned upside down. Guilt had started to set in. He had known Sirius and now that he thought about it he knew, knew that Sirius would never betray James and Lily. His friend would have died instead. He had indirectly sent his innocent friend to Azkaban!

"Who was it then?" he said hoarsely, his voice little more than a whisper.

"Peter" cried Lily as she covered her face with her hands "oh poor Sirius!"

Remus now also felt the overwhelming desire to just cry but he knew what he had to do. He had to get Sirius out of there even if he had to illegally pull him out. He wouldn't let his friend stay in that hell hole one more moment, not when he should be held responsible for every moment he had spent there. It now felt harder to breathe. It was as if a lump had risen in his throat. Still, he didn't deserve any of these comforts. He shouldn't be the one sitting here. It should be Sirius who at the moment would have punched James at least ten times while trying to make him remember.

But now wasn't the time, James and Lily needed his help to remember. Tomorrow….it must be done tomorrow.

_**Okay so from a scale of one to ten how evil I am. 1? Oh come one! I should be a bit more diabolical. 10? I asked about myself not Dolores Umbridge. I think I will take a 7 ;)**_

_**Coming up next: Lily and James try to remember what they have forgotten annnnnnd AZKABAN**_


	27. Opening the Case

Remus knelt in front of James and placed his shaking hands on top of his friend's hands. He took a deep breath while wondering how he was supposed to do this. He closed his eyes and plunged himself into his own memories before speaking in a commanding voice, "James just try, try to remember Padfoot…try to remember grey eyes….a stormy grey and dark hair…..wavy black hair."

James was almost trembling now. Remus knew he was trying hard and it was surprising how hard James was trying to remember and help someone he didn't posses a single memory of. Still, as soon as James had been told that his supposed best friend had been wrongly sentenced to Azkaban prison James had given the task all he had. It was just what James would do.

Remus and Lily had decided that at this moment regaining James' memory was more important because they would need his sentence to get Sirius out of Azkaban. Remus had another reason. He wanted James to repeat what Lily had told him because no matter how hard he tried he found the so called truth hard to believe. He had spent all these years hating Sirius and pitying Peter. The sudden role reversal was just too unsettling and sudden to be believed immediately.

"I can't" groaned James, throwing his hands out in frustration "I don't even know what the hell I am supposed to be trying to remember".

"Didn't you remember anything?" Remus asked desperately. There had to be something James had recalled!

"All I remembered was a guy turning into a dog and that is just…."

"That's it!" Remus cried triumphantly "Sirius is a dog Animagus. Now…..why did you become an Animagus?"

James frowned in confusion. The curve in his lips clearly saying _what kind of question is that?_ "To help you" he answered tiredly when Remus and Lily continued to watch him confusedly.

Remus sighed in relief; for a moment he had began wondering if James had forgotten about his lycanthropy because it was too closely related to Sirius. "And whose idea was that?" he urged James on hoping that he was helping in some little way.

Understanding dawned on James' face "it was Sirius' idea" he said in a hushed voice.

"Do you remember?" Lily exclaimed happily. Remus knew that there was an interior motive in her joy; this gave her hope that she would also remember Harry.

James nodded miserably. "All I remember is that there is a guy who can turn into a dog and that helping Remus through transformation was his idea. I know that Peter is the secret keeper but I don't remember the whole decoy…."

"You know Peter was the secret keeper" Remus exclaimed "why didn't you say so before?" a terrible weight which he had carried for about three years was finally lifted. Sirius hadn't betrayed them. It also left behind the sharp guilt but Remus decided to focus on the bright side. He was going to get Sirius out of there and get his family back that was all that mattered.

"So…are we going to try and get him out now" Lily inquired impatiently.

Remus stared at her for a moment before shaking his head "tomorrow I think…..for now you guys need rest". It was true. Even now he could see James and Lily blink tiredly from time to time and the fatigued looks on their faces was enough to prove that they were really exhausted.

OOOOO

Lily hugged James close as she lay in her bed. James bed had been transfigured to become bigger so she could also fit in and Remus occupied the other bed. She was more worried then she let on but even more she was guilty. She had been so foolish! They should have considered what would happen if something should happen to them. They should have realized that the world would immediately point its fingers towards Sirius if something should happen to them. How could she have been so foolish?

There was a little relief in the fact that they would get Sirius out as soon as it was possible but even that was destroyed by the question that how would Sirius feel. He would be so angry! He had been betrayed by everyone and she had betrayed him the most. When she had decided to follow the plan of the decoy she had been so selfish and self centered. So shallow- would he ever forgive her or James?

She looked at James. It was so surprising that he could be sleeping so peacefully but then again to him Sirius was nothing more than a stranger. Maybe it was for the better, how would he have reacted if he had remembered? She knew he wouldn't have allowed them to rest for even the night. He would have insisted they leave for the ministry immediately. She wondered if she was doing the wrong thing. She shouldn't be here resting while Sirius fought or his sanity but she knew that it was for the best. The last thing she needed was for her or James to collapse during the trial and she knew that could happen if they didn't rest.

She stroked James hair and heard him mumble something incoherent in his sleep. As she thought about James and Sirius she remembered her own memory lapse. Harry? Sirius had been very important to James so Harry must have been really important to her too. In a sudden fit of curiosity she turned around so that she had her back turned towards James. She saw Remus staring at the ceiling seemingly deep in thought. So he couldn't sleep either. Making a one moment decision she asked him, "Remus…tell me about Harry".

Remus' head snapped towards her and he looked startled by her question. Slowly, a smile formed on his lips "Harry….what do you want to know about him?"

Lily bit her lower lip. What should she ask? There was so much she wanted to know so she decided to start at the basics "what does he look like?"

"He looks just like James" said Remus and his eyes seemed unfocused for a moment "but he has your eyes….your green eyes".

Lily smiled and closed her eyes. Already she found herself loving this small child, how could she not? Her next question was very childish but she wanted to ask him that any way "did I like him?"

She heard Remus chuckle before answering "You loved him Lily. I have never seen you as happy as you were when you held him in your arms. The first few days you wouldn't even let anyone touch him. You were afraid that they would….."

"Not even James?"

"Especially not James….or Sirius. You were afraid they would drop him or subject him to one of their pranks. A few days and you calmed down. Sirius was his favorite and Merlin knows I have never seen Sirius act so….grown up then when he was with Harry. Sirius was Harry's godfather and he realized that responsibility which came with it. Or once in his life Sirius didn't run away from responsibility…he embraced it with a proud smile. Harry kept us all hanging on; he reminded us that we had a battle to fight for. He gave us all something to live for and we gladly build our worlds around him…"

Remus' voice slowly faded away as he fell asleep and that night Lily too fell asleep with a contented smile on her lips.

OOOOO

Katherine twisted and turned in her bed. Why had the letter not come? She had expected to find a letter from the ministry which requested her to present her testimony for Sirius again. She had expected that to be James' and Lily's first worry after waking up, why hadn't they done something yet? She had to refrain from going to the hospital to shake some sense into the couple. Maybe they were just too weak to think about such things for now- yes it had to be something like that.

She hugged Olivia close. She had insisted that Olivia sleep with her tonight and after some curious glances her daughter had agreed. She had wanted to feel close to Sirius and Olivia was the closest thing she had to him. Sirius' freedom opened another question or her; would she tell him that Olivia was his child too. She looked at her sleeping daughter and tried to think of losing her. The mere thought hurt so much and she knew that Sirius would never let his daughter stay with a death eater. It was self centered, it was self centered, it was shallow but she decided to keep the secret. She couldn't lose her last link to happiness, to sanity and to life itself.

She closed her eyes and wished for sleep to come. It took a lot longer then she had hoped or but in the end she was able to fall into restless, fitful sleep.

OOOOO

The sun rose steadily over the inhabitants of St. Mongo's but none stirred because of the offending rays of light except Remus Lupin. Despite the impatience of the night, James and Lily still needed their sleep. Remus drowsily opened his eyes and turned his head to the side facing the young couple. He watched them sleep for a moment before kicking off his own bed covers. It was time to start the day.

He gently shook Lily's shoulder knowing she was a light sleeper in contrast to James who could probably sleep through an entire parade. She groaned softly shut her eyes more tightly. 'Lily…come one wake up". Her green eyes opened slowly as she sleepily rubbed her right cheek.

He turned to James. Here came the hard and the fun part. He took out his wand and with his free hand beckoned Lily to get out of bed. Once she had slowly climbed out of bed upon recognizing his course of actions Remus came to stand near James head.

"_Aquamenti!"_

James spluttered and gasped as he snapped out o bed. His eyes rapidly searched for the offender. "Padfoot! It that was you may god help you!" he cried angrily as he wiped his face and ruffled his hair to get rid of the damp liquid.

Remus' smile immediately dropped. Yes, Sirius was the one who usually did this but how could James know that. Maybe his hard work yesterday had paid off and James was regaining parts of his memory! He was about to question this but was interrupted by Lily.

"You can save your fights for later boys. We have to get going NOW!"

"Right" said James with a tired yawn "we have to save this bloke from Azkaban".

OOOOO

"I still don't know which department to go to….." Lily said as she looked around the ministry "I mean which department hears stuff like- oh hi! You see you wrongly imprisoned my friend three years ago so give him back to me or I will skin you alive".

"We could always break into the minister's office and slap some sense into him" James said hopefully and Lily couldn't help but laugh. She was starting to get a little confused, did James want to get Sirius out or did he just want to overthrow the minister. Maybe he was just trying to kill two birds with the same stone.

"You know for once James isn't babbling dross….I am impressed Prongs" Remus said thoughtfully and began leading them towards the minister's office. Wow! Cornelius Fudge was in for a big surprise and a very important lesson; you don't mess with the Marauders.

James balled his hand into a fist and knocked on the door to the minister's office. A few people who were passing by whispered as they saw the long comatose James and Lily Potter walk through the ministry. Lily watched them curiously; what was so special about them? She nervously smiled at Remus as they heard a voice from inside "come in". Well here went nothing.

She was the first to enter. Putting on the best menacing look she could muster she entered the office with her hands on her hips. The minister stood up as he saw her enter, his eyes widening in recognition. Her smirk grew and she was quiet surprised she could actually smirk.

_So very Slytherin of me. _

_Wow! Some Gryffindor I am._

She felt an arm circle around her waist and a hand enclose hers. She gave Remus' hand a reassuring squeeze and smiled at James. She was a bit surprised by the passion glowing in James' eyes but maybe it was just the heat of the moment. She knew what he was doing; he trusted her and Remus so much. He was fighting for what they were fighting without even knowing what it was that they were fighting for.

'We would like to open the case for the imprisonment of Sirius Orion Black".


	28. Never Again

"You are mentally unstable Mrs. Potter so please do forgive me if I don't take your statement to be the truth!"

Lily gazed angrily at the man standing in front of her. Her frustration grew as she saw the minister smirk triumphantly. Merlin knew she hadn't expected this! She hadn't thought that the minister would use her mental health as an excuse to stand against Sirius' freedom. How were they supposed to save him now? No one except her and James had known about the switch….except…..except

_Katie!_

She couldn't believe that she had forgotten about Katherine. The other girl had known all about their plan. Why hadn't she tried to save Sirius? She rounded at Remus and asked him, "Katherine! Why didn't she tell everyone that Sirius is innocent?"

"Are you talking about the liar Ms. White?" the minister asked her. Upon seeing recognition flash on Lily's face he continued "she yelled it to the whole court that her beloved was innocent but we all saw right through her. That treacherous girl had enough nerve to try and defend a death eater….."

"SHE WASN'T LYING!" Lily cried as she balled her hands into fists. This was usually James forte but at the moment she was feeling an overwhelming desire to punch the minister. James was just watching her with surprised eyes, probably astonished by her violent reaction.

There couldn't have been a more fit opening for Remus' cool demeanor. He placed a hand on her shoulder and gently pushed her back as he smoothly entered the conversation. "Minister" he said in a forcefully calmed voice "Sirius' case has a formidable offense but it now has an organized defense as well. If you refuse to open his case and repeat the trial you are breaking a law".

The minister stuttered and gazed at them with wide eyes. He placed his bowler hat on his head and sniffed disdainfully before continuing "very well Mr. Lupin we shall open the case but…."

"Excellent" said Remus with a mischievous grin "then you will follow all the clauses I suppose. Pull Sirius out of Azkaban, he will stay in the ministry's holding cells until his trial is concluded" at the minister's protesting squeak he added "that are clause 17 I believe".

"Very well I shall send two Aurors to escort the….._prisoner"_ Fudge sighed in a defeated manner. He was about to walk out of the room before Lily grabbed his arm. "There is no need to call anyone else" Lily said in a sweet voice "me and James are qualified Aurors after all". The minister nodded before scampering away.

OOOOO

James nervously gripped Lily's shoulder as they walked across the dark corridor of Azkaban prison. A silver doe circled them protecting them from the dementors but it wasn't enough to stop him from shivering. He didn't even understand why he was going; he didn't even remember this Sirius guy. They reached the cell and he saw both Lily and Remus stiffen. He felt a spark of jealousy when he saw tears racing down Lily's face. Why did she feel like this about this man?

He followed her vision and looked at the man who sat huddled in the corner of the cell. He was hugging his knees to his chest and his head was resting over his knee caps. Untidy, wavy black hair covered the man's face but James' attention was slipping slightly. Why was everything suddenly becoming so bright? He looked around trying t find the source of the light but there were no windows in the dark corridor. His head was beginning to pound furiously and he was panicking now. What was happening? Out of nowhere images hit him and it took him a moment to realize what they were….his memories.

_My whole family is Slytherin_

_Really? And here I thought you were alright._

_Well maybe I will break the tradition…._

_GRYFFINDOR!_

_You did it mate!_

_I still think Remus is hiding something….._

_Stop being so damn paranoid Sirius!_

_Come on James, Remus can't be a werewolf it is too surreal…_

_We want to tell you that it doesn't matter_

_A black dog! We could call you Padfoot_

_I like it…..Prongs_

_Stop will you before Wormtail wets himself with excitement_

_If it bothers you…_

_Maybe we should just let Snape go…_

_Aw come on Prongs! I knew Lily would ruin our fun….._

_So do you accept?_

_I am Sirius!_

_I think we should take that as a yes….._

_Tell the world I am your secret keeper_

_JAMES! JAMES! PRONGS!_

_OOOOO_

Sirius lifted his head upon hearing voices from the end of the hallway. They were not amplified like the echoes were, they were clear yet anguished. He frowned curiously. Who could the voices belong to? No one ever came down here. Though he wanted nothing more than to stay in his corner where the dementors weren't bothering him curiosity took over and he reluctantly got up and stumbled to the bars of his cell.

"James? Are you okay?"

"James?"

"JAMES!"

Sirius' breath quickened when he heard the voice. The woman's voice….he knew he would recognize it anywhere. The many days inside Azkaban had made his memories hazy but he still knew who it was, Lily! He squinted trying to figure out the shadows in the corridor. The first thing that caught his eyes was a shock of red hair, Lily was indeed here! The second was rumbled sandy-brown hair. Sirius had to rack his mind to remember who it was and when he did he couldn't help but be surprised, why would Remus have come here? The last was nothing more than a shadow because the other two were kneeling over his slumped form but Sirius could make out the outline of messy hair.

_How?...they were dead_

_Have I finally gone insane?_

_Maybe I am screaming like the others…_

Lily lifted her head from her husband and looked at him. Her emerald green eyes met his stormy grey ones and for a moment Sirius was sure she was actually there. How could his damaged mind have pictured her so perfectly? She nudged Remus who had his back turned to Sirius. Remus slowly turned around to find Sirius looking at him with so much hope it almost hurt to look at the grey eyes which had once been so careless.

Remus slowly got up. He knew that James was okay so he let Lily tend to him. He had more dire matters to take care of. He plunged his hand inside his robe pocket and took out the keys. Sirius glanced from the keys to the heavy lock on his door. Why was Remus setting him free? Didn't he hate him?

"Hi Padfoot" Remus whispered softly as he knelt down to open the door. Sirius didn't reply, what was happening? He was sure now that he had lost his mind but he liked it. He wasn't cold any longer and he couldn't hear the screams. Above all he could see the people he loved.

There was a gasp from the end of the hall and Sirius' attention snapped back to James who had shot up to a sitting position so quickly that he had startled Lily into falling down. James turned his head to a side and looked at Sirius. "Padfoot" he whispered in horror.

"Do you remember?" Lily asked him as she scrambled into a sitting position. She wished he did, this would make it a lot easier on Sirius. Also it gave her hope that she would remember.

"I remember" James whispered lowly as he got up and quickly brushed dust off his robes. Remus who had paused in his act of unlocking the door when James had woken up now found the keys wrenched away from his hands as James jammed the key into the lock at an alarming speed. The locks clicked and James pushed open the door. One step and he was inside.

Sirius backed away immediately. It couldn't be real! He had seen James body in Godric's Hallow. He had been dead and dead people don't come back. Dead means gone. His back hit the wall while he continued to watch James cautiously. He couldn't be real!

"Padfoot?"

"You were dead" Sirius whispered and was almost surprised that he could speak. He hadn't spoken in a long time.

James glanced nervously at Remus who had also entered the cell after Lily decided to stay back, this was a _Marauder_ moment. Remus had a hand clamped on his lips as he looked at Sirius. "Of course" he mumbled more to himself then James "you- you would have thought that. I didn't even…oh god!" Remus came to kneel beside Sirius and he met Sirius' eyes before saying "Sirius they weren't dead that night."

Sirius found himself unable to look away from Remus' warm brown eyes. He had craved for kindness for so long but he wanted it to come from a person, not a dark corner o his own mind and he knew this was all his imagination. He would probably wake up any moment to realize that this prefect scenario had been a dream. He couldn't hurt himself like that. He pressed his back against the wall and leaned his head against it before closing his eyes. "I am dreaming" he said, his tone set.

"But…come on mate. I am right here and I assure you I am very much alive" said James.

Sirius opened his eyes and said through gritted teeth "if James had been alive I wouldn't be rotting here". Satisfied when the James-look-alike flinched Sirius closed his eyes again.

"But Padfoot, he was sick and-" began Remus but he was cut in by Sirius.

"He would have crawled here if he had to but he wouldn't have let me here. This isn't James and I know it!" Sirius scowled. Why were they bothering him? Hadn't he had enough trouble?

"He was unconscious Sirius….I am so sorry! I s-should have listened to you….."

Sirius head snapped up faster than he had thought faster. Remus' voice was breaking and never in all his life had he seen Remus cry. Remus had always been the cool and calm one who never lost his composure. For a moment he forgot that this was all supposedly a dream and extended his hand and placed it on Remus shoulder. Just like old times.

"Even if this is a dream…..wouldn't you want to live it?" James asked him softly.

Sirius turned his eyes from Remus on to James. Oh! How he wished to live this dream. It was all he wanted. James hazel eyes were so sincere; he had missed seeing those eyes. He had missed his friend. He slowly lifted his other hand and placed it on James shoulder. James trembled slightly but he remained relaxed. For once all the fear Sirius had felt these years got the better of him, it became too much and he broke. He was immediately enveloped into a hug. He could feel Remus' breathing erratically against his shoulder and could feel the edge of James' glasses digging into the side of his face. He didn't care about being childish, he let everything go. He knew James and Remus would never judge him so he didn't bother to hide his sorrow. "I want to live it Prongs…more than anything. I never want it to end" he said truthfully.

"Then I promise it never will" James said sincerely as he rubbed Sirius' back "you will never be alone, never again".


	29. Organizing the Defense

Sirius pressed his hands against the wall as he tried to haul himself to his feet. James and Remus immediately moved forth to help him and he smiled thankfully at them. Azkaban had worn him out more than even he himself had been aware of. He was almost afraid to look into a mirror; the face in front of him would surely be unlike his own. Lily smiled nervously at him and he smiled back. This was the first time he had seen her after such a long time, he had been so focused on James and Remus that he had barely realized she was there.

"Glad you are here too Lils" he rasped as he again gave her a small smile.

"Don't call me that" she refrained him with a soft smile as tears rose in her eyes. Sirius could remember all the times in Hogwarts when he and James had stubbornly called her that and she had yelled at them furiously to never call her by suck ridiculous nicknames. He didn't even know why she hated them calling her that; it had just become a tradition after third year.

He stumbled and James hands flew forwards to balance him. "Easy there Padfoot! You don't look too good and you falling down and breaking your nose ain't gonna help anyone" James teased lightly.

Sirius tried to glare at him but the effect was ruined by his twitching lips and fatigued eyes. Nothing much had changed, at least not with his friends. James was still the teasing yet understanding brother. Remus was the quiet support in the background while Lily kept things from getting too uncomfortable.

OOOOO

"Maybe we should get Harry first...I want to see him" said James as he gazed questioningly at his fellow marauders.

The marauders and Lily were currently in a ministry holding cell. The guarding Auror had straight forward denied them access to Sirius' cell but a huge shouting match (mostly Lily though James did contribute) and a broken nose (James' fault) later they had found themselves sitting beside Sirius on the floor. Remus and Lily were trying to organize a defense for Sirius as they were the only ones there who were well learned about the laws of the ministry. As for James, he kept on insisting upon collecting Harry. Saying that James' did not trust the Dursleys would be an understatement.

"I have told you this already James" Remus sighed as he looked up from his papers "this is not what he needs to return to. Where will you bring him? To the holding cell?"

James bit his lip angrily and begrudgingly bowed his head.

"So…..the witnesses" Lily began "Katherine of course! Which reminds me; where is she?"

Sirius stiffened immediately, something James noted with a concerned frown. His friend's face suddenly seemed to become darker. Remus who had earlier been rereading the main postulates of the ministry's law also looked up from the papers with a panicked expression.

"Padfoot?" Remus seemed to be asking for permission. What was going on? At Sirius jerky nod Remus took a deep breath before beginning "Katie…was not what we thought. Do you guys remember the London attack?"

James frowned. He could vaguely remember a Death Eater attack in London shortly before Halloween. They had never seen Katherine after that and Sirius had also grown distant. No! Had something happened to Katherine? But what would she have been doing in London?

"What happened to her?" Lily choked out breaking him out of his musings.

"She was at the wrong side of the battle field" Sirius said through gritted teeth his eyes clouded with anger.

_Wrong side of the battlefield?_

_NO!_

_Katherine would never!_

Everything about her seemed suspicious now that he thought about it; her inside information on the order, her supposed childhood in France- everything! He couldn't believe that they hadn't realized before but had to be glad that nothing too worthy had been lost….except for Sirius.

"I am sorry Padfoot"

There was silence as Sirius nodded. Lily was staring fixedly at her list with a worried expression while Remus began his reading again while trying to look busy. There was silence in the cell except for the tapping of Lily's quill and the occasional shuffle of Remus' papers. Finally Lily spoke "we need Katherine".

James who had been earlier been knotting the edge of his robes looked up. "What do you mean?" he cautiously asked his wife. There was no way he was letting that woman come anywhere near Sirius!

"She was a witness…we will need her testimony again" Lily stated uneasily aware that Sirius and James were both staring at her with varying expressions of horror.

Was calling her worth it?

They did indeed need her. Her testimony would make Sirius' trial more fluent and easy not to mention risk free. By not calling her they would be taking a huge risk and no matter what it took he would get his friend out. This was not a time for anger or honor. If he had to seek help from a death eater in order to help Sirius then he would.

"Fine!' he sighed while Sirius remained silent.

"Okay!" Lily exclaimed with fake cheerfulness as she noted down something in her notebook "so, three witnesses….how are we going Remus?"

"Well...three witnesses mean we have a strong defense but I was thinking we could get some other people to just say that they have never suspected Sirius of dark magic" Remus mumbled. He set the notes down with a relieved sigh and leaned against the wall as he tiredly massaged his temples. He closed his eyes deciding to rest his eyes for a while. If he did fall asleep, Lily would surely wake him up when he was needed.

Lily looked thoughtful for a moment before saying "that shouldn't be too hard. I could easily get Alice and Frank to do that. Right Remus?"

Remus hummed in agreement not even paying attention anymore. He was so tired and at the moment even the hard wall seemed to be warm and comfortable. His eyes flew open upon hearing Sirius exclaim his name. "What?" He grumbled tiredly.

"You just agreed to have the Longbottoms testify for my behalf!"

Realization dawned on Remus' face while Lily watched the exchange with a confused expression. She looked at Sirius and arched her eyebrow.

"They can't testify" Sirius said flatly in a matter-of-fact tone. It didn't really suit him.

Terror closed in on her. She had been unconscious for a long time, had something happened while she hadn't been lucid? Inwardly pleading that her inquiry got a negative answer she asked in a trembling voice "are they dead?" She had to sigh in relief when Remus shook his head.

"They just can't testify...I will tell you when the time is right" Remus said sadly making her feel uneasy. Remus turned to Sirius "how did you know?"

"Bellatrix was never one to miss her flaunting rights" Sirius muttered darkly.

Remus nodded tiredly and James began wondering why he looked so tired. He then almost hit himself on the head; the full moon must be or have been close. He couldn't believe he had forgotten about Remus' furry little problem. "Remus…how close is the full moon?"

Remus looked at him and James could detect the traces of a blush. "It is tomorrow night" Remus muttered sheepishly.

James had to smile sympathetically. He knew how Remus must feel and had to salute his friend for his determination. If it were him he would have sat huddled in a corner begging the others to not disturb him. Still, Remus was never one to draw attention to himself especially not because of his condition. They all now knew that Remus wasn't feeling his greatest and silently decided to not bother him too much.

"Well I think we have a strong enough defense" Lily said confidently as she began collecting the many papers which now littered the floor and stacking them into piles.

"What about the whole street incident?" Sirius asked cautiously. James, Lily and Katherine were witnesses against the charge of his betrayal of the Potters but he could still be held responsible for the murder of those Muggles. Even now bile rose in his throat as he remembered the scene. Reminisced the splashes of blood which had littered the road, the screams of all those Muggles as they watched someone dear to them die, the sirens of the Aurors, the cold of the dementors…Sirius shivered.

"We can use your wand as evidence that you didn't cast the spell. Your last spell will probably be something like _Aquamenti"_ Lily mumbled as she attempted to snatch a paper without waking Remus who seemed to have had fallen asleep while lounging against the wall.

"Shouldn't you guys be heading back?"Sirius inquired "the trial is tomorrow morning so unless you plan on bunking here I think you should head back home besides the Aurors don't look very pleased with you".

"Yeah I guess" Lily muttered as she looked outside. All the excitement and emotional peril of the day had for sure worn her out but dusk was falling now. She wondered where they would go, Godric's Hallow was sure to not be standing anymore. It would no longer be the elaborate cottage she liked to call home; it was probably just a ruin.

_Remus' house probably….._.

"Are you sure you will be alright on your own" James asked Sirius, giving his shoulder a gentle squeeze as I to say that he at least wouldn't mind staying.

"Jeez Prongs I am not going to commit suicide in the night or something, I will be fine!"

_Yet his _body_ language says otherwise_

"Lily, you and Remus go…I am staying" James said firmly ignoring Sirius' protests and insistences.

"I have a promise to keep Padfoot…_never alone, never again"_

It was late at night now. A few hours ago Lily had left taking the barely lucid Remus with her. There hadn't been a word ever since. The two friends lay in silence both of them somehow understanding yet not understanding the other's peril. One of them had seen the face of death closer than any mortal man ever had yet returned to tell the tale while the other had seen what death stood for; darkness yet come back sane. Their trials had been different but in one way, alike. James had caught a glimpse of the fear of losing someone you love but Sirius had known that fear and it was torture beyond what anyone should endure because when someone you love dies you die along with them and then wait for your body to catch up. Still these two young men had stood in front of these hardships armed with nothing more…then love.

_**(A/N) I know I know this chapter sucks and the last paragraph is really cheesy but I really love the Sirius-James friendship and tend to get….carried away. Hope you don't hate it too much and REVIEW PLEASE **_


	30. The Trial

Olivia was in no way brighter than an average child is at the age of three but she liked to think of herself as a little observant and intelligent. Besides it didn't really take a genius like Merlin to figure out that something was troubling her mother. Her mother would periodically glance nervously at the window as if she were expecting a post owl to float in with a letter. Her mother scarcely got any letters except bills so Olivia had to wonder who was corresponding with her mother that had brought her to an edge.

It was early in the morning when the supposedly long awaited letter arrived. Her mother flew off the dinner table and rushed to the window so fast Olivia was surprised she didn't knock something over. Her mother let out a strangled yelp and Olivia looked up from her breakfast to see a smile blossom over her mother's face. Her mother had never smiled like that. Her mother looked up from the official piece of parchment she had been holding and smiled at Olivia "we are going to the ministry today!"

OOOOO

James sleepily rubbed his eyes as he attempted to get used to the light. He tried to get up but he could feel pressure on his legs restraining him from moving. Frowning in confusion he lifted his upper body off the mattress and noticed that Sirius' legs were on top of his'. At least that explained his aching back; he was with Sirius in a cold and uncomfortable ministry cell. Sirius had led him to a lot of bad places but this was definitely the worst. His first thought was to lie back down and not disturb him; Merlin knew he needed the rest. Then he decided to wake him up. Sirius needed to be treated normally.

Grinning despite himself he slowly withdrew his legs and then kicked Sirius' legs with brute force. Sirius grunted in his sleep and rolled away from James, turning onto his back. James pushed himself onto his front and yelled "PADFOOT!' he couldn't help but burst out laughing when Sirius shot up from bed and wildly looked around.

"You are evil Prongs!"

OOOOO

Lily rolled around and yelped fearfully as she went tumbling down onto the floor. Her eyes flew open as she rubbed her head which she had hit quiet forcefully against the floor. It took her a moment to understand why she was staring back at a strange ceiling which definitely didn't belong to her bedroom in Godric's Hallow, she was in Remus' house and her cottage had been destroyed three years ago.

_Three years have passed…._

_Still sounds weird_

She heard hurried footsteps as she got up and threw her blanket onto the couch on which she had been sleeping. Yesterday when they had returned home Remus had insisted that she take his bed but she had straight forward denied it. Full moon was coming and she didn't want to add a horribly aching back to his problems. Remus had to stop his insistence when she pushed him into bed and threw the blankets on top of him.

Remus hurried in and looked around as he cautiously pointed his wand in every corner. Lily raised her eyebrow when he looked at her. "I heard a thump" Remus said watching her with concerned eyes.

Lily cut her tongue "oh that would have been me…erm stretching" she said sheepishly.

Remus' lips twitched before breaking into a laugh. "Come on Mrs. Potter, we have a minister to torture".

OOOOO

Amelia Bones was not going to have a good day. Sirius Black the convicted mass murder innocent? Yes that was all she needed to make her life more miserable; hold an extra trial. Her secretary was still demanding a raise and tended to become careless until her wishes were full filled. This meant that Amelia would have to check, recheck and then counter check all the arrangements because at this moment her secretary couldn't be trusted.

Still as she passed the holding cells to ensure that the prisoner was being treated fairly she couldn't help but think that this wasn't just a stunt. The way Potter had stayed with Black in the worst place on the planet and the way Black had reacted to him was not the way a criminal acted. No, that was how an honest friend acted.

Someone had definitely put some work into making Black presentable (Lily). His hair which she was sure must have been long and dirty after the long containment had been cropped down so that it was shoulder length and more clean then the matted one she remembered. He had shaved and changed out of the prisoner black and white robes. He was now wearing navy blue robes which looked crisp and clean, probably newly bought.

Amelia shook her head. Why was she even here? She had a trial to plan…..

OOOOO

Lily had to put a restraining hand on James' shoulder when the guards came into the cell to take Sirius to the courtroom. It was pretty clear by the way they shoved Sirius into a standing position and roughly handcuffed him that they didn't believe in his innocence. She, Remus and James tailed them. Lily offered her silent prayers and pleads to anyone who would listen. She knew that the truth was on their side and victory was almost definite but she couldn't help but be nervous.

When they entered the courtroom it was obvious that everything was a little unorganized. The atmosphere grew a little crisper when Sirius was brought in but before that everyone had been talking among themselves. They were all probably discussing the sudden trial. Lily saw Remus and James curl their fingers into fists as the chains trembled before rising up and curling around Sirius' arms. Sirius' hands were also clenched.

Lily pulled the two boys' arms and began leading them towards the stands. They were attracting curious stares by just standing there in the middle of the hall. As she drew closer to the bleachers with Remus and James following her she detected a certain blond sitting there. Katherine was leaning down as she was talking to a small child who was standing in front of her. She smiled at whatever the child said and enveloped the little girl in a hug. Katherine's expression froze as she stared ahead.

Lily inevitably followed her gaze and found Sirius watching Katherine with an unreadable expression. He wore a mask that kept all his emotions hidden but a small glimpse at his eyes gave him away. There was so much anguish and concealed anger there mixed with betrayal. Lily's anger at the girl but Lily was thankful that she had come at all after all it was common knowledge that the death eaters didn't think kindly of the white sheep of the black family. Realizing that their seats were right next to Katherine, Lily made a split moment's decision and pushing the boys away she sat down next to Katherine. The boys understood her actions and gladly took their seats. Their tempers were already at edge and sitting next to _that woman_ was definitely going to complicate matters.

"Thank you for coming here Ms. White" she said in a curt tone "or is it Mrs now?" she added mockingly upon getting a close look at the child. The little girl looked like a ditto copy of Katherine except for the dark black wavy hair which framed her round face.

_Wavy black….so much like Sirius'_

_Wait…._

_No….it can't be_

_I am just trying to make some connection_

Katherine just nodded in answer before pulling the child into her lap. The girl settled down in her mother's embrace and idly sucked her thumb as she continued to watch Lily with a curious expression. Lily couldn't help but smile at the small kid; after all she hadn't done anything wrong. The girl withdrew her thumb and hurriedly dried it on her frock before returning Lily's smile. Not something Lily had seen a death eaters child ever do.

BANG!

Lily immediately sat a little straighter. The trial was about to begin. Amelia began speaking-

"Criminal trial held on the First of November by Amelia Bones, Cornelius fudge and Dolores Umbridge in witness of the whole Wizengamot. Presenting the criminal Sirius Orion Black, his charges are as follows; for the betrayal of the Potters and the murder of Peter Pettigrew. How do you plead?"

"Not guilty" Sirius said clearly his voice ringing across the courtroom like a deadly whisper.

"Well then presenting the first witness in offense of the criminal, Fiona Pettigrew!"

Lily's breath caught in her throat she wildly looked around trying to find the aged woman. She found Peter's mother slowly climb down the stairs which led to the chair beside Sirius and almost shivered when Mrs. Pettigrew threw her a look of utmost disgust and anger. Of course she still blamed Sirius for her son's death and would be almost livid at them for she saw them as his companions but it still hurt to catch the kind woman's feeling of betrayal directed her way.

"What is your relation to the criminal?" Amelia asked her when she had settled down.

"He is the murderer of my son" she spat out sparing Sirius a heated glance. Sirius cringed under her gaze.

"Very well, state what you have to say Mrs. Pettigrew".

"Well…it was the day after Halloween and I was feeding the dog when Peter came into the house. The poor boy he was sweating and looked so terrified. I asked him what happened and he told me everything. Bless his s-soul he always did tell me everything but then again I was his mother-"

"Get to the point lady!' Fudge barked, impatiently tapping his fingers on the wooden surface.

Mrs. Pettigrew flinched at being shouted at by the minister and she took a deep breath before continuing "he told me that James and Lily were _dead_ and that Black who had been their secret keeper had betrayed the Potters. Then Black decided to come barging in and he threw Peter out o the window! He threw his out of_"

"I threw myself and peter out of the window actually" Sirius muttered but everyone heard him. Sirius had his head bowed so no one could see his face but he was visibly trembling. All that talk about James and Lily being dead made this reality seem to surreal to be true and he still expected to just wake up and find himself surrounded by the darkness and cold of Azkaban.

"And then-then the street it-it exploded. HE KILLED MY SON!" no words were said as Mrs. Pettigrew wrenched herself away from the chair and hurriedly rushed away from Sirius, making her way to the bleachers. Sirius still hadn't lifted his head.

Amelia blinked as Mrs. Pettigrew rushed away and then bowed on top of her parchment as a small boy sitting beside Fudge furiously scribbled down on his parchment. He was noting down everything that was being said. "Presenting the next witness in defense of the criminal, James Potter"

Lily gave James' hand a reassuring squeeze as her husband got up and confidently made his way to the chair. There hadn't been a better place or James to _strut, _even Sirius was smiling. James sat down beside Sirius before beginning to speak "Sirius was and is my best friend. When I, my wife and our son went into hiding we took aid from the fidelius charm and Sirius was to be made the secret keeper but, we believed that Sirius would be too obvious so we decided to use him as a decoy while Peter was the actual secret keeper. Sirius never did and never will betray us."

Lily stood up and spoke in a booming voice, "I agree!"It really didn't make much sense to just repeat what James had said so she just decided to let them know that her thoughts were identical. Amelia nodded into her parchment and James jumped off the chair. He gave Lily a relieved smile as she came closer to the bleachers. It didn't take a genius to figure out that he had rehearsed what he would say.

"Presenting the last witness in the defense of the criminal, Katherine White".

Lily's head jerked to a side when Katherine touched her shoulder. Katherine pointed towards her daughter "could you take Olivia while I-"she let the sentence hanging as her finger pointed towards the center of the courtroom. Lily nodded; she didn't really hold a grudge against the small child. Katherine patted Olivia's head and whispered reassuringly "I will be back in a second Livvy".

Katherine walked towards the main chair with Sirius watching her every step. She settled down in the chair in a fashion identical to Mrs. Pettigrew; slightly to a side as far away from Sirius was she could get. Lily helped Olivia climb into her own lap and unnecessarily hugged her close to her chest. The girl in return twisted the fabric of Lily's pristine robes in her tiny hands as she watched her mother.

"I really don't see any need to question Ms. White again, we do have her testimony" Amelia said after some time as she looked up from her papers and glanced at the now defeated minister. Fudge nodded miserably and Katherine was out of her seat before anyone could say a word. Sirius was still watching her like a man in a dream. When she returned to her seat Olivia touched her lap and with a small smile Katherine accepted her and began gently rocking her back and forth.

The early silence in the courtroom was now replaced by a buzzing sound as all the members of the Wizengamot began discussing the fate of the criminal Black. Lily was still very nervous, one for offense and three for defense was a in their favor but she still couldn't help but feel afraid. What if they were declared mentally unstable? What is Katherine's testimony was not considered valid?

Amelia cleared her throat and silence fell again. "The charges or the first charge have been lifted...the second charge…."

Remus stood up with a wooden case inside his hand. He swiftly made his way to Amelia's desk and placed the box on top of the wooden surface. Amelia cautiously reached for it and with a click the box snapped open. She lifted Sirius' wand out o the box. Understanding what he meant she withdrew her own wand and commanded, "_Finite Incantatum_".

The wand emitted a clicking noise as grey smoke poured out of it, an unlocking charm. Grey, shadowed bubbles rippled out o the brown stick and came to float above Amelia's head, a cleaning charm. Next again smoke poured out of the wand and a whipping sound was heard, a severing hex. Amelia dropped her wand and the shadowy shapes vanished. "Very well" she sighed.

For the second time the Wizengamot dissolved into voices as Remus came back to the bleachers and sat beside James. This time the commotion was shorter and in the end only the minister looked unhappy. With a proud smile that made butterflies flutter in the pit of Lily's stomach she began speaking "The Wizengamot has reached a decision, Sirius Orion Black is cleared of all charges and with that I deem this trial concluded!"

The chains loosened and Sirius shot up from his chair. James and Remus were already half way through the courtroom with Lily slowly following them. With a surprised yelp Sirius found himself tackled to the ground as he was enveloped into a bear hug by the rather enthusiastic Marauders. With all that had been going on, the angst of Sirius' trial the three best friends hadn't gotten to celebrate their union. It seemed like the perfect picture as James and Sirius started a fully fledged wrestling match while Remus and Lily watched from the sidelines. The pieces of the jigsaw puzzle called the marauding family were coming back together but there were a few pieces missing. One of the small missing pieces was a small bespectacled boy with emerald green eyes and unmanageable jet black hair. Soon, soon Harry James Potter would find his place in this family. Two other pieces of the puzzle were also in that very courtroom but they hadn't been accepted yet. So Katherine clenched her eyes shut in a futile attempt to stem the flow of hot tears as she turned away from her love taking with her a small souvenir of the dreams he had given her; their daughter Olivia who was watching the large family with big, longing eyes. The child wondered why she couldn't have a big, full, happy family like these people.

_**Good? Very good? Excellent? Awesome? Okay? Bad? Very bad? Worst thing ever?  
come on tell me how I did and REVIEW  
oh and u guys owe this fast chapter to the reviewer who told me she loves my story and hopes it is a series (sorry I forgot ur name) which means the more you review, the faster the chapters will come  
love u guys even though you are not very supportive  
you amateur and sucky writer  
~levy~**_


	31. Privet Drive

_I know I haven't been dedicating chapters for a long time…so let's start again now ;)_

_This chapter is dedicated to AmyHale who is given the award of THE BEST READER EVER (sorry ammy but you can't be that…because you are my best friend :P )_

OOOOO

Privet Drive was considered as a perfect, normal neighborhood. With its identical, neatly lined houses and its clean, pristine streets no one could disagree. The people of Privet Drive weren't the friendliest of the lot but they did not harm you as long as you did not harm them. Everyone from the two years old who had many parks to play in to the elderly who had their gardens to take care of were happy and contented, except for one Harry James Potter who was at the moment walking behind his aunt as he miserably made his way to school.

Harry pulled his back pack more firmly onto his shoulder as he shuffled his feet and continued moving. He frowned in confusion as he saw a man watching him. He unconsciously moved closer to his aunt as the man hurriedly lifted his newspaper and attempted to look busy. Harry scratched his neck, the man had hidden his face and now only his sandy brown hair was visible. Shrugging Harry just fell back into his normal routine.

OOOOO

Remus' breath caught in his throat and he unconsciously dropped the Muggle newspaper he had been reading. At his first glance Harry looked exactly like James but when he turned around Lily's emerald green eyes pierced into his. His actions were involuntary as he hurriedly lifted the paper and blocked Harry from view. He closed his eyes behind the paper and stayed stationary for a moment. Letting the paper fall he found the street empty. He immediately got up and entered the shop.

James and Sirius turned around while Lily continued to chat with the receptionist. Apparently the receptionist was an old friend of Lily's and they had gone to grammar school together. They did notice a lot of people glance at Lily as if they recognized her from somewhere. Sirius raised his eyebrows when he looked at Remus' pale face, "Hiya Moony! You okay? You look like you have seen a ghost".

"I saw Harry"

Lily immediately stopped talking and Remus knew he had captured their attention. Sirius rotated his stool fully so that he was facing Remus while James jumped off the one he had been sitting on and asked "really? How is he? Did he- did he look happy or….."

"He is okay" Remus smiled "he looks just like you James, except for the eyes of course"

"We have to get him" Lily breathed. She didn't remember the child but still she said this with compassion and longing. All these year has done nothing to dim the love which still shone in her green eyes. Yes they needed to get him but they would have to wait until he returned from school.

OOOOO

Harry watched sadly as Dudley furiously hugged his mother while his aunt asked him how his day had been. Dudley immediately launched into a speech of what he had to eat during lunch break and his aunt began moving while listening to her son chat enthusiastically. Harry looked at his cousin's bag which was held by his aunt and then at his own which was propped against his legs. Sighing, he slung his bag over his shoulder and began walking behind his relatives.

Half way through their journey Harry heard footsteps from behind him but they sounded oddly muffled. Harry unconsciously tightened his hold on his bag and turned around. He had to suppress a surprised scream when he found himself knocked to the ground by something black and furry. Harry screwed his eyes shut as something wet and slippery was rubbed over his face. When the weight over him had disappeared Harry opened his eyes to find grey eyes of a large black dog staring back at him. Harry winced as the dog barked loudly and joyfully and he hurriedly craned his neck to look ahead, his aunt and cousin had disappeared. He didn't need to panic, he knew the way quiet well.

"Down boy" he whispered as the dog attempted to jump on him again. The dog let his tongue hang out as he sat back and watched Harry. Harry bit his lower lip and kept a cautious eye on the dog as he got up and gathered his back pack. Sparing the dog a small smile he began walking away. As soon as he had taken a few steps forward he heard the footsteps again. Groaning softly Harry turned around to find the dog staring at him. The dog tilted his head to a side as if considering him and then came to stand by Harry. Harry pressed his hand against his face that was all he had needed to make his aunt more livid; a stray dog that wouldn't leave his tracks.

"I really don't think I can keep you" Harry said as he began walking home with the dog at his heels "she doesn't like dogs much…well she doesn't like anything much". The dog continued to follow him. "You should go find a new master you know. Go on…shoo!"

Surprisingly as soon as Harry entered the walls of number four the dog stopped and slowly backed away. Glad that the dog had finally seen some sense Harry pushed the door open. Harry's heart jumped to his throat when he heard his aunt shriek "you! Get out of my house". Had burglars come to the house? Or worse maybe they were kidnappers. Taking small, timid steps he entered the kitchen and stopped in his tracks.

A man and a woman were standing in front of his aunt. They were both wearing neat and clean cloths though the clothing was a little unusual still, they didn't look like thieves or kidnappers. Why was his aunt screaming at them? Judging by their clean and crisp clothes they looked like people his aunt would like.

The man moved towards him and Harry backed away. He wasn't supposed to talk to strangers. Now that the man had stepped out o the shadows Harry could see his face clearly and couldn't help but be puzzled, the man looked so much like him! His heart gave a happy flutter as he considered a possibility, could it be his father? Or maybe it was a distant relative of his who had come to take him away? The woman also moved closer and Harry could see her dark maroon hair and green eyes, Harry thought she was pretty.

"Well I have to be glad he is off our backs…go ahead and take him away!" his aunt said with a snort and bean to lead Dudley out of the back door but by the way she cautiously looked behind her back Harry could tell she was scared. He himself didn't feel any better. He wanted nothing more than to follow his aunt and flee out of the house. He felt more betrayed than ever. He was aware of the act that his aunt didn't care much about him but he had always supported a fantasy that deep inside she did –_she had to!-_ but she had just letting theses people take him away.

The door shut with a bang and his aunt was locked in. Harry jumped fearfully and pressed his back against the wall. The woman was pointing a stick at his aunt and his aunt was slowly backing away into a corner. Why was his aunt afraid of a small stick?

"Lower that freaky thing?" his aunt said in a trembling voice. She was thoroughly ignored by the strangers who were now kneeling before Harry. Harry fearfully lifted his head was surprised to find the man and woman both smiling kindly at him. "Hi Harry" the man said softly.

Harry blinked in confusion. He had never met this man before but the stranger knew his name. "How do you know my name?" he asked boldly shooting a terrified glance at his aunt who was watching the mysterious couple with utmost loathing.

"That is an easy question to answer Harry, I am your father!' it was a rather blunt statement but in that one sentence Harry felt his hopes soar. His parents! They were back and they were going to take him away. He would no longer have to run away from his relatives, his parents were going to take him faraway. They were going to love him because that is what mum and dad were for, for giving love and comfort. They were better now and Harry was getting an inner feeling that they would take good care of him.

"Really?" he asked barely daring to believe it.

Smiling, the woman –_his mother! -_ nodded and Harry couldn't help but smile too. The couple mirrored him and he unconsciously moved out of his corner. The woman opened her arms and it took Harry a moment to understand what she meant; she wanted him to hug her! He began taking timid steps while wondering what it would be like to be hugged. Before he could move anymore his mother moved forth and embraced him. Harry stiffened immediately and held his breath. His father was also hugging them now and slowly Harry relaxed. His mother smelled oddly of vanilla and a flower which he couldn't place and he could also smell his father's cologne. These were fairly normal odors but to Harry, it smelled like love.

"So Harry why don't we get your stuff?" his father asked him gently as he patted Harry on the back. A small panic flared inside Harry's chest, no one was supposed to know about his _bedroom._ He slowly backed away and stood a fair distance away from his parents.

"I will get it" he volunteered weakly hoping that they took the bait and just let him get his stuff alone.

It didn't happen. "Don't be silly Harry, we will help you!" his mother laughed as she and her father got to their feet and brushed dust off their clothes "so….care to lead?"

Nervously biting his lower lip Harry turned around and shuffled out of the kitchen. He scratched his neck as he entered the hallway and came to a halt next to the cupboard under the stairs. Harry knelt down and unlocked the door. He was about to open the door but was interrupted by his mother asking, "Harry, what are you doing?" Harry slowly got up from his kneeling position and pointed to the cupboard. "That's my room" he said in a low voice.

His mother sucked in her breath and glanced at his father with an expression of disbelief. His father didn't meet her gaze; he seemed too busy in looking from Harry to his small hand which was curled around the door knob of the cupboard. Harry shrunk back into the wall, had he done something wrong? They looked really mad.

"James could you help Harry get his stuff, I am going to have a word with my sister" his mother said in a voice which seemed to have been forcefully controlled. His mother didn't even wait for his father to answer; she spun on her heels and disappeared into the kitchen banging the door shut after her. His father sat down beside Harry and after giving Harry a reassuring smile which diminished his fear somewhat he opened the door. With a surprised yelp his father backed away as two spiders came scuttling out of the small cupboard. Blinking his father peaked in and his nose wrinkled in disgust.

"Are you sure you even want any of this" his father asked him. Truth be told Harry didn't want to take any of these things. They were all Dudley's hand me downs and Harry wasn't really looking for souvenirs to take with him as a memorial for his stay with the Dursleys. His father seemed to read his facial expressions as he closed the door of his cupboard and got up. The next thing his father did was quiet surprising and unusual to harry. He wrapped his arms around Harry and carefully lifted him up. Harry stiffened for the second time that day. He had watched many children being carried around like that and had always craved to have the same loving treatment directed his way. He slowly relaxed and wrapped his own tiny and thin arms around his father's neck and had to suppress a shiver when his father kissed his forehead.

"Let's go meet your uncles…"

When his father opened the door Harry was surprised to find two other men standing outside. He recognized one of them immediately; he had been watching Harry in the morning. As for the other man, Harry had never seen him before but his eyes did look queerly familiar. Both men's lips broke into brilliant grins upon seeing Harry and he couldn't help but blush, he wasn't used to such attention. The dark haired man was the first to move and Harry found himself shifted from his father's arms into stranger's who according to his father was his uncle. Harry didn't like that one bit; uncles weren't nice though this man didn't seem….bad. He held Harry securely against his chest and whispered "Hey Harry, I am Padfoot". Harry had to suppress a laugh, Padfoot…what an odd name.

"His actual name is Sirius" the other man laughed "and I am Remus…you can call me Moony". Harry looked at Remus, his gaze stopping over his warm brown eyes. Apprehensively he awarded Remus a small smile which was immediately returned. He saw Remus uncertainly lift his arms and Harry soon found himself moved into his arms. Usually Harry wouldn't have liked being pushed around like that but at the moment he without a doubt loved it. It was rather odd that they would even want to hold him but he decided to make the most of it.

The door banged open and his mother walked out. She was muttering under her breath and seemed rather red in the face. His father wrapped his arms around her waist as soon as she came close and she unconsciously leaned into his embrace. "What did you do?" his father asked softly, trying yet failing to look casual.

His mother rolled her eyes before answering "I am not you James! That is probably the reason I didn't let you deal with her. You would have cursed her into next week. We just…._talked"_ the slight emphasize on the word "talked" did give the impression that it had been a heated conversation.

"That's all!" cried his father looking disappointed "come on Padfoot! Let's go get creative on her…." He didn't get far as his mother grabbed his ear (Ow! Lily let me go…she deserves it!) and pulled him back. Sirius who had been about to follow James lacked behind and gave Lily a guilty smile.

"You aren't going in there! We are leaving" she stated firmly.

"Where to?" Remus asked as he carefully adjusted Harry in his arms and lifted his tiny arms to wrap them around his neck so that the child didn't fall.

"Dumbledore…we need an explanation, pronto!"

"And then?" James inquired.

"Home" Lily smiled.

_**Who wants to know what she did to her? Maybe I will do a one-shot for you eh?  
Hope this chapter isn't too bad, I gave it all I had  
REVIEW PLEASE!**_


	32. The Quarter Fold Protection Charm

_This Chapter is dedicated to my brother who isn't very supportive but still didn't tell on me. I can't imagine a greater and a worse brother _

Albus Dumbledore was the headmaster of Hogwarts and the old man was proud of himself for being helpful. Whenever someone needed any help they turned to the one and only person whom they were sure would always help; Dumbledore. So he had to feel a little miffed when the Potters took such great steps and didn't even bother to consult him. Then again he couldn't be too angry, they had to save a dear friend and people can become rather rash when it comes to their dear ones. There was guilt there too. The only way he could help others was by his diverse knowledge and he should have seen through Peter Pettigrew's scheme's which led to the imprisonment of an innocent man. Still, even the headmaster who often effortlessly imitated many people was only human.

When James and Lily Potter entered his office he had to refrain himself from saying, Ah! So you finally remembered me. He looked around expectantly for their little son; Arabella Figg had told him that James and Lily had picked him up. Upon not seeing the child he decided to ask, "Ah! James and Lily. A pleasant morning is it not….where is little Harry?"

Lily smiled at him and sat down across him before speaking "We had Sirius and Remus take him home…he hasn't been introduced to magic yet so we thought that Hogwarts would be too overwhelming".

Albus nodded in understanding. He looked at the young couple in front of him and had to admit that they were strong, stronger then even him maybe. They had faced so much but still sat in front of him unscathed. "It is good to see you" he said at last with a soft smile. It was true of course; the Potters lying motionless in their beds had been a heartbreaking and tragic scene.

James nodded and silence followed. Albus waited for them to speak. They had come here for answers and Albus was pretty sure he knew the question; how did we survive. Even he didn't know the answer to this but he did know a legend, a myth which was supposed to be impossible to be fulfilled.

"How?" Lily asked at last "how did we survive?"

Albus didn't answer. He got to his feet and walked towards the book rack which was propped against the wall behind his desk. He pulled out an old, battered book and laid it down on his desk. With a tired sigh he returned to his seat and cracked the leather binding open. There was a note stuck between the pages near the end of the book and Albus opened the book to that page. James and Lily watched apprehensively waiting for him to explain. He didn't, he just pushed the book towards them. Frowning in confusion, Lily bent down and began to read out loud…

_The tale of the quarter fold protection charm is of Gaelic origin and it goes back to many centuries ago. It has been passed along as nothing more than a mere bed time story. No one has ever given it much importance for it is after all nothing more than a myth. Still it is a perfect example of love and sacrifice._

_In a small quiet village a happy family lived peacefully. The mother Fiora and the husband Aonghas loved each other very much and the children Ailey (girl) Ailean (boy) also lived in perfect harmony. The village people often smiled as they saw Fiora walking towards the village well with her two little children tailing her. She would fill her bucket while the children would chase each other and run in circles around the well much to the amusement of the spectators. They all loved the small family, who could not love such pleasant people? They all saw a perfect and normal family and didn't feel the need to pry further. So, no one knew the family's two very important and deadly secrets._

_The first was that they were magical beings. They kept this secret for they knew what happened to those who practiced witchcraft; they were burnt to the stake. The children had been tutored from a very young age to not talk about the impressive wonders of magic in front of the villagers._

_The second secret was of Aonghas' brother. Barry in his youth had fiercely loved Fiora and had been enraged when she chose his younger brother as her groom. Furious he had sworn vengeance before disappearing into the dark mountains. Aonghas had long forgotten about it for he believed the promise to be nothing more than his brother's useless flaunts._

_When a man clad in an ebony black cloak strode across the village cobbles streets all the villagers turned their curious eyes to the stranger. No one would be able to recognize this man except two people, the man's brother Anoghas and his once-beloved Fiora. The family was sitting in their house at the moment and that was where he was headed. His vengeance for the injustice done to him had finally come. His wait was over._

_He faced Aonghas first. He was the guiltiest of the lot. He had stolen his love and besmirched his honor. Before he could utter the deadly curse (see the unforgivable curses on page 13) his eyes wandered to Fiora who was running desperately towards her husband. A new fresher and more vicious anger reared inside him as he lifted his wand her way and uttered the spell. He couldn't help but be surprised when Anoghas jumped in front of his wife and shielded her from death. His lips curled in a disgusted manner when he saw Fiora scream and cry and she drummed her hands against her husband's chest pleading him to wake up. _

_She was so vulnerable, she was taken down easily._

_Now his gaze swept to the children who sat huddled in a corner shaking with fear. With a sneer etched on his face he advanced their way and watched with amusement as the girl stood in front of her infant brother trying to protect him. Those children didn't stand a chance; they crumbled along with all the remains of the injustice. He had gotten even and it was his time to leave._

_When the villagers found the family it was a heart breaking sight. Fiora was laid spread eagled on her husband's corpse while the children remained in the corner. Ailean was the only one awake and he was crying into his sister's chest who lay motionless beside him. The women seemed to have had fallen into a restless sleep and they woke up many years later when Ailean was a young man and had a family of his own. As for Aonghas, he was buried in the village cemetery. The town people didn't give it too much thought though it was trending gossip for a while. None of them realized that this family had fought death armed with nothing more than love._

With a frown Lily closed the book and pushed it back towards Dumbledore. Her head swirled with many questions…this story was true then? They had performed the quarter fold protection charm! James looked just as confused and surprisingly he was the first one to speak…

"Say we did perform it" he mumbled thoughtfully "it needs four people to perform the charm but we were..three".

"I faced that enigma myself James" Dumbledore said in a grim tone "then I remembered…remembered how your mother died".

James paled immediately and Lily looked at her in confusion. She knew that James' mother had been murdered the summer before fourth year but he never talked about it. After some time she had stopped asking though it had hurt a bit that he would talk about it with Sirius but not her. It seemed that Dumbledore had answered all the questions as James hurriedly bid Albus a good day and grabbed Lily's wrist. Pulling her out o the door he said "I will explain later!"

OOOOO

Lily looked at James with pity in her eyes. He had been sitting silently on the couch ever since they had come back and refused to say anything. Lily had just finished explaining everything to the guys and they seemed to understand as soon as she mentioned his mother's death. Lily was now starting to feel out o the loop. As she sat down next to him she asked softly "How did Mrs. Potter die? Tell me….please".

James gently pecked her on her cheek and pulled her close "that day had felt as normal as any other but then…."

_James lifted his head from his lunch and looked at the trembling wall in confusion. The warning sirens shouted out ripping the silence and his parents jumped up from their seats their wands already drawn. James didn't have his wand with him. They were not allowed to perform magic outside school so it seemed pointless to just carry it around. All he could do was cautiously stand up. His mother seemed to realize what he was missing as she moved to stand beside him and pulled him into a one armed hug. "Stay with me, you will be okay!" his mother whispered reassuringly but urgently._

_The crack in the fall grew and it caved as pieces of debris rained down into the living room. James heart jumped to his throat as his mother pulled him to a corner and pushed him against the wall. His father had disappeared. His mother stood in front of him with her wand drawn. The death eater moved a little closer and immediately the war broke out. James curled up into the corner and closed his eyes tight. He wished desperately that all this was a dream, that the blaring lights were nothing more than the welcoming rays of the morning sun._

"_Voldemort!' his mother whispered and his eyes snapped open. He took a hesitant peek from behind his mother's legs and immediately backed away. He suddenly knew why everyone feared this person. His crimson eyes spoke of nothing more than death. "Stay away from my son you beast!' his mother snarled viciously._

"_Avada Kedavra!" that spells kicked James into action and he jumped to his feet. He didn't care for the fear he felt, he had to save his mother. He felt a new fear, a new pain as his mother crumbled and her corpse fell against his body. He felt a new kind of anger as he looked into her unseeing hazel 's taunting laughter rang in his ears as he cradled his mother's head against his chest and sobbed without any bashfulness. Voldemort and his Death Eaters left leaving him behind._

"_MUM! MUM!"_

"….my father found me later. He had been dueling other death eaters…" James didn't continue as tears fell freely down his cheeks. Lily hugged him closer and gently stroked his hair and rubbed his back. She let him cry but she was a little surprised. She had never seen James cry this openly before. James slowly lifted his head and looked skywards and whispered his gratitude to the woman who had saved more than just his life.

"Thank you mother…thank you or saving my family"

_**Two chapters in one day! Now that is speed.  
I threw in everything I got and I hope you guys like it. You owe this one to my two new followers; Onions and Books &**_ _**DivergentRavenclawOfDistrict12 (thanks guys!). Remember…the more reviews the faster the chapters will come ;)  
**__**~Levy~**_


	33. Happily Ever After?

_To HMAZ, you guys make me feel like I am living a teenage dream _

OOOOO

Harry looked around in sheer wonder. He knew he had twirled around roughly three times and probably looked like a surreal image of a ballerina but he just couldn't help it. Potter manor was definitely the most majestic, somewhat terrifying yet amazingly beautiful places he had ever seen. Sheens of sun light poured into the corridor through the large, paneled windows. The walls weren't painted grey like he had imagined them to be, they were a creamy brown color which made the place look even finer. He had never known that his parents had been this wealthy; he had never known that he was the heir to such a large fortune.

"Easy there Harry" his uncle Padfoot, or as he knew now his godfather laughed. Harry gave him an uneasy smile still now used to the care or closeness of elders. Sirius didn't return it, his godfather continued to look ahead with a fond smile etched on his face as if he had many fond memories of this place which he probably did. Remus began walking and Harry followed him after a moment of thought. Remus looked back when he heard him following and beckoned him to move closer. Eying the man warily he walked a little faster and came to stand beside him. Remus smiled again and gave him a one armed hug. Harry stiffened immediately but Remus didn't withdraw his hand or gaze worriedly at him like he had done earlier. He just squeezed his shoulder and continued walking. Harry who was bent in an odd angle to keep the embrace followed him, wondering what the jittery feeling in his stomach was.

OOOOO

Harry looked at his sleeping mother's peaceful face before twisted his body to look at his father who was also fast asleep. As for Harry, he just couldn't sleep. He was still in the torn jeans and baggy shirt that he had worn to school even though it seemed as if he had followed his aunt and cousin to school almost a year ago. He couldn't believe that he had a family now, people who loved and cared for him. Sleeping between his parents seemed like a surreal experience to Harry but he liked the way their arms were interlocked around him.

He moved slowly as he tried to change his position and felt his mother's arms tighten around him immediately while his father slowly withdrew his arm. He bit his lip and cautiously looked at his father, phew! He was still asleep. He turned his head to a side and had to suppress a groan as he found a pair of emerald eyes watching him.

"Go to sleep sweetheart" his mother said drowsily as she hugged him close and pressed him against her chest. An odd warmth seemed to jolt through Harry's body when she called him sweetheart and the truth seemed to almost crash upon Harry making his eyes burn and water. This was his mother, the kind woman who was hugging him was his mother! He couldn't understand why he was crying. He should be happy. Sniffling slightly Harry pressed his head against his mother and went to sleep with a smile on his face. He had a family now!

OOOOO

Trying to restrain his giggles Harry tiptoed into Sirius' bedroom and watched cautiously as his godfather changed his position and lied down on his front. He held the bucket securely in his hands and moved closer. He tilted his head to a side to ensure that he was indeed asleep. Listening closely he could hear soft breathing. He knew that Sirius was a really bad actor and so knew that he was indeed asleep otherwise he would have burst out laughing by now. With a mischievous grin he swung the bucket back and dumped its contents on his godfather. This was his favorite prank; the typical morning prank.

"HARRY JAMES POTTER!"

With a laugh, Harry took off running with Sirius hot at his heels.

OOOOO

Harry cuddled next to Remus and rested his head against his shoulder. Remus spared him a small smile before continuing reading. After some time Harry lost interest in the story and began looking around. He knew they were just trying to get him to fall asleep for it was way past his bed time but he really didn't feel any urge to fall asleep. Remus' voice was becoming slurred and soon his voice disappeared. Well at least someone could sleep. Sighing Harry took the book from Remus' hands and set it on the bedside table. He lay back down and hugging Remus he also fell asleep.

OOOOO

Harry sat pressed against his mother's side as howls ripped the silence of the night. It was the night of the full moon and the marauders were out in the ground. Harry shivered at the terrifying prospect of transforming into a werewolf and his mother gently rubbed his back as she continued humming the reassuring tune. Harry wasn't afraid of Remus, no he knew that the man would never hurt him. Still, he was afraid of the wolf, the wolf was not Remus and it could hurt him. He looked at his mother and she smiled reassuringly at him for the umpteenth time. He and his mother were laying on the mattress which had been laid in the living room of Potter manor. Harry had wanted to be there when the men came in so Lily had thought of this solution. Harry pressed his face against his mother's chest as he heard yet another howl. Oh! He hoped Remus was okay. It was surprising really, surprising how his mother managed to somehow lull him to sleep with the help of her mesmerizing melody.

OOOOO

Harry frowned in his sleep. His first thought was that he was sitting in one of the muggle trains his mother was so fond of but then he thought against it. He had fallen asleep yesterday with his mother in the living room he couldn't suddenly be in a train.

_Wait last night!_

_The full moon!_

Harry's eyes snapped open and he found out that his father was carrying him up the stairs. His father looked down to find Harry staring back at him. Smiling his father leaned down and shortly kissed his forehead "go back to sleep Harry, everyone is okay" his father reassured him. That was all Harry needed to know before falling back into his peaceful slumber.

OOOOO

Squealing happily Harry sloshed into the water with his father and Sirius chasing after him. He kept his mother's advice to not go too deep into the waters in his mind as he raced to a side. He waved merrily at his mother and Remus who were sitting on the shore seemingly uncaring to the match going on between the two parties. Harry screamed in surprise as a jet of water hit him full force. He toppled down splashing water everywhere.

He glared at Sirius who was standing in front of him with his arms crossed over his chest and a triumphant grin on his face. Hurriedly getting up Harry dipped his hand into the water and retaliated viciously. Of course it did help that his father chose to aid his son and soon Sirius was soaked from head to toe. When the two men started a water fight among themselves Harry made his way back to shore with a small smile on his lips.

OOOOO

Harry rolled the ball in the snow as he hid behind the rocks. James and Sirius were having a full blown snow fight somewhere in the distance but they were not his target. His target was the chatting Lily Potter and Remus Lupin. Pushing on his best wicked smirk Harry jumped out and threw the ball forth with all the force he could muster. It hit Remus straight in the face.

"Now now Harry. You can't pick on the one of the marauders and not expect the others to be on your case" Sirius chided as he and James came closer.

Harry ran away as soon as many snowballs came pelting towards him. He had forgotten one thing; the others had magic on their side. Still, it was all good fun.

OOOOO

Lily hummed to herself as she readjusted the chairs and looked around the dining room. It was sparkling clean; the house elves had surely done their part well for the day. Combing her fingers through her hair she glanced nervously at the clock which hung on the wall and hoped that Sirius would be here soon. If he ruined this she would without a doubt kill him. Brushing her hand on the table one more time to ensure that there was no dust there she decided to go upstairs and see if James was dressed yet. Harry of course would still be asleep.

Before she could fully climb up the stairs the door to her bedroom opened and James walked in dressed in navy blue robes. He winked at Lily as he came down. Lily brushed the front of his robes and patted his hair flat wishing that he would somehow look more proper. She knew that trying to make his hair lie lat was futile and frankly didn't even know why she tried. It was just a silly routine she liked to follow.

"Is Padfoot here yet?" James asked her as he rumbled up his hair much to Lily's annoyance. She decided that she should be happy that at least Harry didn't like his hair as messy as his father not that there was a big visible difference. She shook her head at James' question and began descending the stairs. "Don't make too much noise" she warned James when she heard him follow her down the stairs "I don't want him awake yet".

"Of course! Your surprise party" James snorted "I will have you know that we have all known about it for days". Lily satisfied herself by sticking out her tongue at him even though it was a rather childish thing to do. Then again he wasn't mature enough himself to pass any kind of judgment on her. She grabbed his arm and pulled him down the stairs before he could even get the thought of waking Harry. Nothing and no one was going to ruin this day and she was personally going to ensure that!

OOOOO

Harry's eyes snapped open and he looked at the familiar ceiling of his room in Potter manor. Today was his eleventh birthday...

_Love is the power of the vanquisher_

**TO BE CONTINUED….**

**Flashes from The Power of the Vanquisher….**

"I am pregnant!"

"son? We are having a boy?"

"What! Oh no no it's not a boy it's …. um…"

"So we are having a girl then?"

"No it's not a girl either…."

"It is either a boy or a girl"

"Fine! We are having a son"

"Is that….is he ours"

"Our son!"

"Say dad! Da-ad, come on you can do it!"

_The one with the power to vanquish the dark lord approaches_

_The power the dark lord knows not_

"I am so sorry guys; I won't be here for Harry's birthday. I have to go to France"

"This is Katherine White, the French witch"

_Though he didn't realize it, Sirius Black was in love_

_The clock struck 12 and the month of October began_.

"He is smiling…wonder what he is doing that for"

"Shut up Sirius! Do you want him to wake up?"

"Actually yeah, I do want him to wake up"

"Sirius?"

"Yes prongs?"

"Shut up!"

"Sirius we need your help! Muggle London has been attacked!"

"There is something you need to know!"

"What Moony! I don't have all day!"

"Katie went to Muggle London!"

_It didn't make any sense, how could Katherine Victoria White be a death eater?_

"Why?"

"Why!"

"I asked you something!"

"- didn't lie when I told you about my parents...they were murdered by Lord Voldemort..."

"And still you chose to join that scum!"

"I let you stay in my house, let you into my world, introduced you to all my friends, trusted you with myself, told you all my secrets, loved you...Damn it Katherine! I loved you and you were not some ordinary girl whom I found pretty and thus decided to date...you taught me the meaning of love itself and now...now I am so disgusted, disgusted at myself."

"I hate you for what you did to Sirius!"

_Maybe all of this would come to pass and they would make it out alright…._

_She was pregnant with Sirius Black's child_

"Lily it's him, take Harry and go, run!"

"Run! I will hold him off".

'Not Harry, not Harry, please not Harry"

"Stand aside, you silly girl…stand aside now"

"Not Harry, please no, take me, kill me instead"

"This is my last warning!"

"Not Harry, Please! Have mercy, have mercy"

"Stand aside….stand aside girl"

"JAMES? JAMES!"

"I know what I am talking about! They told the world that Sirius was the secret keeper to keep Peter safe!"

"NO! SIRIUS! SIRIUS"

"I am a Death Eater!"

"She is lying! She isn't!"

_Why did he have to be so noble?_

_Every day was the same and every night was the same too, every night was filled with the images of his laughing face._

_It had been so long but he still couldn't get himself to move on._

_The screams and accusing voices would haunt him forever but...he would always wish for an escape._

_Why did they not get well? Why did they not come?_

_When she exited the room that day she didn't look back but if she would have she would have seen Lily's hand twitch_

"She is awake! I thought I would never see the day!"

"THEY ARE AWAKE. COME TO ST. MONGO'S NOW!"

_He could finally live again._

He could finally live again.

"You forgot Harry"

"Who the hell is Sirius?"

"Remus…tell me about Harry".

"Harry….what do you want to know about him?"

"What does he look like?"

"He looks just like James….but he has your eyes….your green eyes".

"I want to live it Prongs…more than anything. I never want it to end"

"Then I promise it never will. You will never be alone, never again".

"Glad you are here too Lils"

"Don't call me that"

_The pieces of the jigsaw puzzle called the marauding family were coming back together but there were a few pieces missing_.

_He had a family now_

_It was his eleventh birthday…._

Raindrops, Fall From, Everywhere  
I Reach Out, For You, But Your Not There  
So I Stood, Waiting, In The Dark  
With Your Picture, In My Hands  
Story Of a Broken Heart

Stay With Me  
Don't Let Me Go  
Cause I Can't Be Without You  
Just Stay With Me  
And Hold Me Close  
Because I've Built My World Around You  
And I Don't Wanna Know What's It Like Without You  
So Stay with Me  
Just Stay With Me

I'm Trying And Hoping, For The Day  
When my touch is enough  
To Take The Pain Away  
Cause I've Searched For So Long  
The Answer Is Clear  
We'll be OK if We Don't Let It Disappear

Stay With Me  
Don't let Me go  
Cause I Can't Be Without You  
Just Stay With Me  
And Hold Me Close  
Because I've Built My World Around You  
And I Don't Wanna Know What's it Like Without You  
So Stay with Me  
Just Stay With Me

I've searched my heart over  
So many many times  
No you and I, is like no stars to light the sky at night  
Our Picture Hangs Up To  
Remind Me Of The Days  
You Promised Me We'd Always  
And Never Go Away  
That's Why I Need You To Stay

Stay With Me  
Don't let Me go  
Cause I Can't Be Without You  
Just Stay With Me  
And Hold Me Close  
Because I've Built My World Around You  
And I Don't Wanna Know What's It Like Without You  
So Stay with Me  
Just Stay With Me

oh.. oh oh  
don't leave  
so I stay waiting in the dark...

_So give me the light to your soul  
I promise, I will find you_

**_(A/N) THANK YOU! thank you each and everyone of you who liked my story and thought it worth reading. i am sorry but i won't be posting the sequel immedeately, i need a break from the vanquisher. it would mean a lot to me if you read my other story which i will hopefully be posting soon._**

**_THE FIFTH MARAUDER  
_**

_**Emily Dickinson's life has been cursed but she has learnt to live only when she has known to die. She had come to Hogwarts to make friends and be happy, make most of what she had but when she befriends the Mar**__**auders….things get out of control. **_

_**I LOVE YOU GUYS AND THANKYOU  
**_


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